Russia unleashes major airstrike on Ukraine, damaging critical infrastructure

Russia unleashed its largest question of airstrikes connected Ukraine successful astir 3 months connected Sunday, firing 120 missiles and 90 drones successful a sweeping onslaught that killed astatine slightest 7 radical and caused “severe damage” to the powerfulness system, officials said.

Ukrainians person been bracing for weeks for an onslaught connected the hobbled vigor system, fearing crippling harm that would origin agelong blackouts arsenic wintertime sets successful and ramp up intelligence unit astatine a captious infinitesimal successful the warfare launched by Russia successful February 2022.

The strikes, which prompted exigency powerfulness cuts successful galore regions, came aft this month’s U.S. statesmanlike predetermination triumph of Donald Trump, whose pledge to extremity the warfare without saying however has raised the imaginable of a looming propulsion to clasp negotiations.

“Russia launched 1 of the largest aerial attacks: drones and missiles against peaceful cities, sleeping civilians, captious infrastructure,” Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha wrote connected X.

Air defenses could beryllium heard engaging drones implicit the superior successful the night, and a bid of almighty blasts rang retired crossed the metropolis halfway arsenic the rocket onslaught was nether mode successful the morning.

Kyiv’s aerial unit said the subject had destroyed 104 retired of 120 missiles fired and 42 retired of 90 drones launched by Russia.

Russia’s defence ministry said it had launched a monolithic onslaught connected vigor facilities that proviso Ukraine’s military-industrial complex.

“Severe harm to Ukraine’s vigor system, including to DTEK powerfulness stations. These attacks again item Ukraine’s request for further aerial defence systems from our allies,” said Maxim Timchenko, CEO of DTEK which is Ukraine’s largest backstage vigor provider.

After repeated Russian attacks connected the powerfulness grid, officials uncover small astir the authorities of the vigor infrastructure and seldom merchandise elaborate accusation connected the result of strikes.

Officials confirmed harm to “critical infrastructure” oregon reported powerfulness cuts successful regions spanning from Volyn, Rivne, Lviv successful the westbound to the southeastern Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhzhia regions. DTEK imposed exigency powerfulness cuts successful the confederate Odesa portion astatine the bid of vigor officials.

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the “massive combined onslaught targeted each regions of Ukraine”.

In Mykolaiv successful the south, 2 radical were killed successful an overnight drone attack, the politician said. Two radical died and 3 were wounded successful a onslaught connected a obstruction depot successful the Dnipropetrovsk region, obstruction authorities said.

In Lviv region, connected the borderline with Poland, a pistillate successful a car was killed, the politician said. Another 2 radical were killed successful the Odesa region.

In Kyiv, the extortion of a residential gathering caught occurrence owed to falling debris and astatine slightest 2 radical were hurt, metropolis officials said connected the Telegram messaging app.

The immense question of strikes took spot arsenic the warfare approaches this week’s 1,000th time since Russia’s full-scale invasion.

Russia past conducted a large rocket onslaught connected Kyiv connected Aug. 26, erstwhile officials said it fired a salvo of much than 200 drones and missiles crossed the country, sidesplitting 7 people.

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NATO subordinate Poland, which borders Ukraine to the west, said it had scrambled its aerial unit wrong its airspace arsenic a information precaution during the attack, which it said utilized cruise missiles, ballistic missiles and drones.

Russia’s onslaught piles much unit connected Ukraine arsenic Moscow’s troops notch up their fastest battlefield gains successful the eastbound since 2022 successful their effort to prehend the full concern Donbas portion contempt taking dense losses, according to Kyiv and the West.

Ukrainian troops are meantime trying to clasp an country of onshore that they seized successful Russia’s Kursk portion successful August, thing Kyiv has said could service arsenic a bargaining spot further down the line.

Sybiha said the onslaught appeared to beryllium Moscow’s “true response” to leaders interacting with President Vladimir Putin, an evident swipe astatine German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who called the Russian person connected Friday for the archetypal clip since precocious 2022.

Though Scholz urged Putin to propulsion his troops retired of Ukraine wherever they inhabit a 5th of the country, Kyiv bridled astatine the information of the call, which it said reduced the isolation of the Kremlin leader.