KYIV: Ukraine said on Friday that it had enforced emergency power outages in three regions after Russia launched several missiles and drones at its power stations overnight.
The escalation in Moscow’s aerial attacks on Ukraine has primarily targeted energy infrastructure, purportedly in retaliation for Ukrainian offensives along Russia’s border areas.
The national grid operator, Ukrenergo, declared that its dispatch center “was compelled to implement emergency blackout schedules” in Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kirovograd regions until the evening.
Prior to this incident, major cities like Kharkiv and Kryvyi Rih had already been under restrictions following a Russian strike in the previous week.
Ukrenergo issued a cautionary message, urging consumers in other regions to conserve electricity usage conscientiously.
These attacks have exacerbated Ukraine’s challenges, as it grapples with severe shortages of air defenses for airspace protection and ammunition to fortify its front lines.
Ukraine’s foreign ministry expressed concern over the intensified air assaults, deeming them a growing threat to the nation’s energy security.
Prime Minister Denys Shmygal reiterated Ukraine’s plea to Western allies for additional air defense systems to safeguard critical infrastructure and civilian populations.
While the Russian defense ministry admitted to targeting energy facilities using “long-range air, sea, and land-based precision weapons,” it claimed these sites were utilized by Ukraine’s military.
