Russia launches massive strikes on Ukraine's energy grid in run up to winter

Russia has launched a massive barrage on Ukrainian infrastructure in large-scale attacks across the country, causing “significant” damage to the country’s energy grid.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Sunday that Russia launched 120 missiles and 90 drones in the attack.

The combined drone and missile attack was the most powerful in three months, according to the head of Kyiv’s City Military Administration Serhii Popko.

The strikes targeted Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. / Credit: AP

Four people have been confirmed to have died so far as a result of the attack with six people injured, including two children.

Zelenskyy said Russia deployed various types of drones, including Shaheds, cruise, ballistic and aircraft-launched ballistic missiles.

Ukrainian defence forces shot down 140 air targets, he said in a statement on Telegram.

DTEK, Ukraine’s largest private energy company said the attack caused “significant damage” to its thermal energy plants, adding it was the eighth large-scale attack on its energy facilities this year.

There are fears Russia could be repeating a tactic it deployed last year when it tried to knock out Ukraine’s energy grid in the run-up to winter forcing many Ukrainians to spend much of the season in the freezing cold with little access to heat.

Russian strikes have hammered Ukraine’s power generation capacity since Moscow’s all-out invasion of its neighbour in February 2022, prompting repeated emergency power shutdowns and nationwide rolling blackouts.

Emergency services personnel work to extinguish a fire following a Russian rocket attack in Lviv. / Credit: AP

Ukrainian officials have routinely urged Western allies to bolster the country’s air defences to counter assaults and allow for repairs.

Explosions were heard across Ukraine on Sunday, including the capital, Kyiv, the key southern port of Odesa, as well as the country’s west and central regions, according to local reports.

The operational command of Poland’s armed forces wrote on X that Polish and allied aircraft, including fighter jets, have been mobilized in Polish airspace because of the “massive” Russian attack on neighbouring Ukraine.

The steps were aimed at providing safety in Poland’s border areas, it said.