Russia has announced a massive attack on Ukraine using land, sea, and air-launched missiles and drones as part of a series of retaliatory strikes in response to Ukraine’s attacks on Russian border regions.
The attack targeted a vast dam over the Dnipro river, resulting in the deaths of at least five people and leaving over a million others without power. This forced Ukraine to seek emergency electricity supplies from Poland, Romania, and Slovakia, according to officials in Kyiv.
The strikes, which caused blackouts in seven regions, brought back memories of the winter of 2022-23 when Russia frequently bombed Ukraine’s power grid.
The Russian defence ministry stated that the air strike was a response to Ukrainian shelling and cross-border raids during a stage-managed election that saw President Vladimir Putin secure a fifth term.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy condemned the attack, highlighting that Russian terrorists were targeting critical civilian infrastructure including power plants, a hydroelectric dam, residential buildings, and a trolleybus.
Ukrainian Energy Minister German Galushchenko criticized the attack, stating that the goal was not only to cause damage but also to disrupt the country’s energy system on a large scale.
Despite Russia’s denial of deliberately targeting civilians, the ongoing war following its invasion in February 2022 has resulted in numerous casualties, displacements, and destruction of cities.
Russia defended its actions by claiming that Ukrainian power facilities are legitimate targets and that the attacks are aimed at weakening Ukraine’s military.
The Russian defence ministry reported successful strikes on power grid objects, railway nodes, military factories, ammunition depots, and concentrations of Ukrainian troops and foreign mercenaries.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that Russia considered itself in a “state of war” due to NATO’s intervention on Ukraine’s side, marking a shift from previous language used during the invasion to prepare for a prolonged conflict.
European Union Council President Charles Michel emphasized the importance of the EU developing its own defence industry in response to Russia’s war rhetoric towards Europe.
The attacks resulted in casualties in the Khmelnytskyi and Zaporizhzhia regions, with damages to Ukraine’s largest dam, the DniproHES in Zaporizhzhia. Despite the attacks, the state hydropower company assured that there was no risk of a breach.
However, the company’s director, Ihor Syrota, confirmed damage to both power blocks and the dam itself, with one block sustaining two direct hits. Additionally, oil leakage into the Dnipro river was reported.
The widespread impact of the attacks on critical civilian infrastructure has exacerbated the already dire humanitarian situation in Ukraine, according to the UN’s humanitarian coordinator for Ukraine, Denise Brown.
Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal revealed that around 20 substations and electricity stations were targeted in addition to the dam, leaving approximately 1.2 million people without power in multiple regions.
Ukrainian Deputy Defence Minister Ivan Havryliuk acknowledged Russia’s ammunition advantage over Ukraine but expressed hope that this difference would diminish with new arms from allies in the coming months.
