About 200 missiles and drones were fired by Russia on Monday into Ukraine, destroying energy infrastructure across the country and killing five people, according to Kyiv. Poland, a neighboring NATO member, also reported that a drone had likely entered its airspace.
Authorities said that the strike, which occurred 2.5 years after Russia launched a full-scale invasion, targeted electrical or other vital infrastructure in at least 10 districts. electrical outages and water supply disruptions were reported in numerous locations, including sections of Kyiv.
In an apparent attempt to weaken the system before the winter when most people need energy and warmth, Russia sharply increased its attacks on the Ukrainian power infrastructure in March, according to Kyiv.
Russia launched its most intense missile and drone volley in weeks on Monday, coinciding with Ukraine seizing further territory in a significant cross-border incursion into Russia’s southern Kursk area and Russian soldiers advancing rapidly in eastern Ukraine, encroaching on Pokrovsk, the country’s transportation hub.
“It was among the largest coordinated attacks. Over a hundred different kinds of missiles and roughly one hundred Shahed drones. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy stated on Telegram that “this strike, like most previous Russian strikes, is just as sneaky, targeting critical civilian infrastructure.”
Poland declared that there was a “object” in its airspace, that it might have landed there, and that searches were in progress.
The trajectory of the flight and the speed suggest that it was most likely a drone, and that is what we presume it was, according to Jacek Goryszewski, a spokesman for the operational headquarters of the Polish army, who spoke to Reuters.
Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal claims that the missile and drone barrage caused damage to fifteen different regions of Ukraine. According to Zelenskiy, “a lot of damage” had been done to the energy sector.
Leading authorities in Kiev pleaded with its armed suppliers and Western allies to permit long-range strikes inside Russia. Zelenskiy also reiterated Ukraine’s request for friends like Poland to assist in shooting down drones and missiles over Ukrainian airspace.
At the beginning of the invasion, Ukraine lacked strong long-range weaponry. However, in the intervening period, it has produced numerous models of long-range attack drones and employed them to strike targets located deep into Russia, such as military airfields and oil refineries.
Zelenskiy said over the weekend that Ukraine had created a brand-new “drone missile” that was faster and more potent than previous weapons in Kyiv’s inventory and had been deployed to target Russia.
The military-industrial complex in Ukraine was allegedly underpinned by critical energy infrastructure that was struck by Russian forces using highly precise weaponry, according to the ministry of defense of Russia on Monday. It included locations for gas compressor stations, electrical substations, and aircraft weapon storage.
Verified damage
Rivne and Volyn in the northwest, Khmelnytsk in the southwest, Zhytomyr in the north, Lviv in the west, Dnipropetrovsk, Kirovohrad, and Vinnytsia in central Ukraine, Zaporizhzhia in the southeast, and Odesa in the south were among the regions reporting power outages or other significant infrastructure disruptions.
There were minor power outages in neighboring Moldova, whose grid is connected to Ukraine’s.
According to the Ukrainian foreign ministry, there was also targeting of a hydroelectric project in the Kyiv region. Following an alleged attack at a hydropower plant, a damaged dam and a fire were shown in a video that was shared on social media and confirmed by Reuters. Another video that was independently confirmed featured a missile striking a water reservoir.
Ruslan Kravchenko, the governor of the Kyiv area, stated on television that the dam had not sustained any serious damage.
Authorities reported that a railway infrastructure facility had been targeted in the northeastern Sumy region, from which Ukraine initiated its incursion into Russia on August 6. However, they did not specify which site or provide any other information.
At least five persons have been confirmed deceased, including a male in the Zaporizhzhia district and a 69-year-old man in the Dnipropetrovsk region, according to local officials. The others were located in the Volyn, Zhytomyr, and Kharkiv regions.
A damaged apartment block was reported by the mayor of Lutsk following reports of explosions. Along with the blasts, central Kyiv was shaken, and air defenses could be heard battling approaching targets outside the city.
According to the air force, Russia attacked on Monday using a combination of various weapons and 11 TU-95 strategic bombers.
According to Serhiy Popko, chief of Kyiv’s military administration, some 20 drones and about 15 missiles were shot down that were aimed into the city’s capital.
Russia and Ukraine refute any intentional targeting of civilians. Both claim that the goal of their attacks is to damage vital infrastructure needed for the other’s war effort.
