Private company DTEK and national operator Ukrnergo announced that electricity distribution facilities in eastern Ukraine had been damaged following a “large-scale” Russian attack.
According to information released by DTEK, three people were injured, but the exact location is yet to be released.
On the other hand, the Ukrainian government organization Ukrnergo reported that “a large-scale attack on civilian energy infrastructure” had occurred in the early hours of the morning.
“Equipment was damaged at facilities in Vinnytsia, Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk and Kiev region,” Ukrenergo said, adding that the extent of the damage “is being assessed.”
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched nine missiles and 27 Iranian-made drones, all but four of which were shot down.
“Essential infrastructure equipment was hit,” the Ukrainian Air Force said. “The main target of the attack is eastern Ukraine, especially the Dnipropetrovsk region,” one of the areas where DTEK operates power installations.
Air defense systems were also activated, particularly in Zaporizhia, Donetsk, Kherson, Kharkiv and Kiev.
“Another difficult night for the Ukrainian energy sector. The Russians attacked one of DTEK’s thermal power plants,” the company said in a statement.
According to the company, this is the seventh attack on Ukrainian power plants in the last three months.
Moscow has launched a bombing campaign in recent months targeting Ukraine’s main electricity production and distribution centers, which according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky account for half of the country’s energy capacity.
Kiev has called on Western allies to support the reconstruction of the electricity grid, which will require major investments.
Ukraine, on the other hand, is asking allies to provide more anti-aircraft defenses to counter Moscow’s attacks.