KYIV: Russia has launched a fresh round of missile and drone strikes targeting Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, resulting in the deaths of at least two persons.
According to officials, one man lost his life in a cruise missile attack on infrastructure in the western Lviv region, while another person was killed after a projectile struck a petrol station in the north-eastern Kharkiv region on Sunday.
Lviv’s governor, Maksym Kozytsky, expressed concerns about potential casualties trapped under rubble, with firefighters successfully extinguishing a blaze at an administrative building damaged in the strikes.
The recent attacks mark an intensification of Russian attacks against Ukraine’s energy network, with significant damage reported in multiple regions. Over the weekend, Ukrainian energy company Centrenergo confirmed the complete destruction of the Zmiiv thermal power plant in the Kharkiv region due to Russian shelling, exacerbating power outages affecting hundreds of thousands of residents.
Ukrenergo, the national energy operator, reported additional strikes targeting high-voltage facilities in the south, prompting emergency shutdowns in the city of Odesa and surrounding areas, leaving hundreds of thousands without electricity.
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy addressed the Ukrainian people in an Easter Sunday message on social media, condemning the relentless Russian aggression and reaffirming the nation’s resilience in the face of adversity.
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian air force claimed to have shot down a significant number of drones and cruise missiles launched by Russia overnight, underscoring the ongoing battle to defend against aerial attacks.
In response, Russia’s defence ministry asserted the success of its strikes, targeting Ukraine’s gas and energy infrastructure with high-precision, long-range air-based weapons. The ministry claimed that the operation disrupted the operations of defence industry enterprises involved in manufacturing and repairing weapons, equipment, and ammunition.
Amidst the escalating violence, reports emerged of Ukrainian shelling killing a woman in the Russian border village of Dunayka, according to local authorities.
