The Ukrainian Air Force said its air defense teams had intercepted 21 of the 34 Russian cruise and ballistic missiles fired from land, air and sea-based systems, but the attack caused extensive damage to four thermal power plants and other critical parts of the power grid in three regions.
A Russian missile attack pounded power facilities in the center and west of Ukraine on Saturday, mounting pressure on the ailing energy system as the country faces a shortage of air defenses despite a breakthrough in U.S. military aid. The strike using ballistic missiles and cruise missiles fired by Russian strategic bombers based in the Arctic Circle was the fourth large-scale aerial assault targeting the power system since March 22.
Two people were wounded after Russia launched a “massive attack” on energy infrastructure in Ukraine overnight from Friday to Saturday, Kyiv’s armed forces and local authorities said. An 82-year-old woman and a 39-year-old man were wounded, Oleksandr Vilkul, president of the defense council of the central city of Kryvyi Rih, said on Telegram.
