Russia launched one of its largest air attacks on Ukraine, resulting in at least seven deaths and many injuries. According to the BBC, missiles and drones struck more than half of Ukraine’s regions on Monday, causing significant damage to power infrastructure and widespread blackouts. The attacks forced people in Kyiv to take shelter in metro stations. The BBC reported that Russia admitted to targeting Ukraine’s energy infrastructure as part of a long-term strategy, with all targets hit.
The head of Ukraine’s air force, Mykola Oleshchuk, called it the “most massive aerial attack” so far, with Russia firing 127 missiles and 109 drones overnight. Ukraine managed to shoot down many of them, but the damage was still severe, the BBC noted. A missile also hit a civilian building in Kryvyi Rih, killing one woman and leaving others missing.
Russia’s strikes impacted 15 regions across Ukraine. BBC mentioned that victims included a 69-year-old man in the Dnipropetrovsk region and a man in Zaporizhzhia. In Lutsk, another person died, and parts of the city lost water. Power stations were also hit, including a hydroelectric plant north of Kyiv, contributing to the ongoing energy crisis.
The BBC highlighted that Russia has been attacking Ukraine’s energy infrastructure since the start of the war, leading to frequent blackouts and water disruptions. This attack comes as Ukraine is still recovering from previous hits to its power grid, and it continues to rely on energy imports from the EU. Despite this, Ukraine’s President Zelensky said that half of the country’s electricity-generating capacity has been destroyed.
The BBC added that the recent strikes are also an attempt to weaken Ukrainian morale after a successful Ukrainian incursion into Russian territory. Although Ukraine continues to struggle on the battlefield, the BBC emphasized that these attacks show that Russia can still cause significant harm.
President Zelensky is urging Western allies to allow Ukraine to strike deeper into Russia, arguing that it could save more lives if European air forces support Ukraine’s defense.
Meanwhile, Russia’s defense ministry stated that it had targeted electricity, gas facilities, and weapons storage sites, aiming to disrupt the transport of Western-supplied weapons to the front lines.
According to the BBC, Moscow also claimed to have destroyed nine Ukrainian drones over the Saratov region. As this situation unfolds, it continues to remind both Ukrainians and the West of Russia’s power to inflict devastation.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c3d90ke0ello