Blackouts reported across Ukraine amid Russian strikes
A large-scale, long-range Russian air assault has reportedly been launched targeting industrial sites across Ukraine. Kiev has vowed to keep up strikes on Russia in response.
The attack was reportedly launched early on Monday morning and involved drones and missiles of different types, according to the Ukrainian air defense forces. The Russian military confirmed the operation later in the day, reporting that it had hit all intended targets.
Russia is targeting “objects of critical infrastructure all across the country,” Ivan Fedorov, who administers the Kiev-controlled part of the Zaporozhye Region, claimed on Telegram. “Blackouts are possible due to emergency shutdowns.”
In Kiev, Mayor Vitaly Klitschko reported interruptions to power supply in the Ukrainian capital, blaming them on problems with the national grid.
Energy Minister German Galushchenko described the situation as “difficult” and confirmed that the grid operator triggered emergency blackouts to deal with it.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Denis Shmigal said the barrage affected 15 regions of Ukraine and urged Western arms donors to let Kiev use their weapons for strikes deep inside Russia.
Moscow started attacking Ukrainian power plants in the spring, responding to Kiev’s campaign of drone attacks against Russian oil refineries and storage depots. The stated goal was to cripple Ukrainian arms production and capability to deploy new troops on the frontline.
There were confirmations by Ukrainian officials of successful hits on Monday. Igor Polishchuk, the mayor of Lutsk, reported damage to an infrastructure target. So did the head of Poltava Region, Filipp Pronin, who confirmed the emergency interruption of the power supply.
Andrey Yermak, chief-of-staff to Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky, has threatened retaliation, saying: “The desire to destroy our energy system will cost the Russian infrastructure dearly.”
On Sunday night, Kiev launched long-range attacks on the Russian cities of Saratov and Engels. In the former, drone fragments plunged into a high-rise building, Governor Roman Busargin reported. The incident left five people injured, including a woman said to be in a critical condition. A similar incident in Engels reportedly caused no casualties.
A Ukrainian drone was also intercepted in Yaroslavl Region trying to reach an oil refinery there, Governor Mikhail Yevraev reported. The aircraft caused no damage, he said.
The Russian Defense Ministry twice reported engaging Ukrainian drones on Monday morning, with over 20 intercepted over different parts of the country.
The Polish Air Force said it was scrambling fighter jets in response to the military action in Western Ukraine and said it was “constantly monitoring the situation.”
Earlier this month, Ukraine launched a large-scale cross-border incursion into Russia’s Kursk Region. The Defense Ministry in Moscow has reported that the thrust has effectively been halted and, while Kiev’s troops still hold territory in the region, they have been experiencing heavy casualties throughout the fighting. Moscow’s ambassador to the US, Anatoly Antonov, told journalists last week that President Vladimir Putin had already determined how his nation would “punish” everyone responsible for the incursion.
