Russia carried out its biggest missile attack in weeks across Ukraine on Thursday, hitting energy facilities in what officials said appeared to be the first salvo in a new air campaign targeting Ukraine's power grid.
Power cuts were recorded in five Ukrainian regions in the west, center and east, reviving memories of several air strikes on vital infrastructure last winter that caused power outages for millions of Ukrainians during the bitter cold.
Authorities said at least 18 people were injured in the airstrikes, including a 9-year-old girl, and a regional governor said two people were killed in Russian shelling overnight.
"Winter is coming. Tonight (Russia) renews missile attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure,” wrote parliamentarian Andrii Osadchuk on the X platform.
The grid operator reported the first Russian attack on energy infrastructure in six months, with damage to facilities in the west and central regions.
“There were partial blackouts in the regions of Rivne, Zhytomyr, Kiev, Dnipropetrovsk and Kharkiv,” it said on the Telegram messaging app.
Challenges and consequences of damaged infrastructure
Ukraine has been racing for months to repair infrastructure after attacks last winter damaged nearly half the country's power system and forced grid operators to impose regular power cuts.
This year, Ukraine has the best air defenses in the West, but faces the great challenge of protecting a vast country against attacks.
In February 2022, Russia sent tens of thousands of troops to Ukraine. However, since mid-July it has focused its airstrikes on port and grain infrastructure. This has hampered efforts by Kiev, which is a major global grain producer, to export food products. Therefore, the situation in the region became even more tense.
Many of the attacks also killed civilians, although Moscow denies that it deliberately targeted civilians.
Russia has not commented on the recent airstrikes. This occurred during Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's visit to the United States. Zelenskiy sought support for Ukraine at the UN General Assembly.
However, according to Moscow, Ukraine carried out an attack inside Russia. This occurred during a counteroffensive by Kiev, resulting in the destruction of Ukrainian drones over the Crimean peninsula and the Black Sea overnight.
Source: Olena Harmash and Tom Balmforth | Notícias Agrícolas
