Kyiv, Ukraine — Russia launched a large missile and drone barrage concentrating on Ukraine’s power infrastructure on Wednesday, placing a thermal energy plant and prompting Ukrainians to take shelter in metro stations on Christmas morning, Ukrainian officers stated.
Thomas Peter / REUTERS
Russia’s Protection Ministry stated it had carried out a “large strike” on what it stated have been important power services in Ukraine that help the work of Kyiv’s military-industrial advanced, Reuters reported.
The Russian assault left half 1,000,000 folks within the Kharkiv area with out warmth with temperatures just a bit above zero Celsius and there have been blackouts within the capital, Kyiv, and elsewhere, Reuters added.
The strikes wounded at the very least six folks in Kharkiv and killed one within the Dnipropetrovsk area, the governors there stated, in accordance with Reuters.
In an announcement on X, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated over 70 missiles, together with ballistic missiles, and over 100 assault drones have been used to strike Ukraine’s energy sources.
“Putin intentionally selected Christmas for an assault. What could possibly be extra inhumane?” Zelenskyy stated. “They proceed to battle for a blackout in Ukraine.”
Ukraine shot down 59 of 78 Russian missiles and 54 of 102 drones, Reuters cites Ukraine’s navy as saying.
“Within the early hours of Christmas, Russia launched waves of missiles and drones in opposition to Ukrainian cities and significant power infrastructure. The aim of this outrageous assault was to chop off the Ukrainian folks’s entry to warmth and electrical energy throughout winter and to jeopardize the security of its grid,” President Biden stated Wednesday. “Let me be clear: the Ukrainian folks need to stay in peace and security, and america and the worldwide neighborhood should proceed to face with Ukraine till it triumphs over Russia’s aggression.”
Ukrainian Power Minister Herman Halushchenko stated Russia once more “massively assaults power infrastructure,” in a Fb assertion. Ukraine’s Air Drive famous a number of missiles fired at Kharkiv, Dnipro and Poltava areas east of the nation.
SERGEY BOBOK / AFP by way of Getty Photographs
“The (electrical energy) distribution system operator takes the required measures to restrict consumption to reduce damaging penalties for the facility system,” he stated. “As quickly because the safety scenario permits, power staff will set up the harm triggered.”
Ukraine’s largest non-public power firm, DTEK, stated Russia struck one in all its thermal energy crops, making it the thirteenth assault on Ukraine’s energy grid this yr.
“Denying mild and heat to tens of millions of peace-loving folks as they have fun Christmas is a wicked and evil act that should be answered,” Maxim Timchenko, CEO of DTEK wrote on his X account.
Ukrainian state power operator Ukrenergo instituted preemptive energy outages throughout the nation as a consequence of a “large missile assault,” resulting in electrical energy going out in a number of districts of the capital, Kyiv.
Not less than seven strikes focused Kharkiv, sparking fires throughout the town, regional head Oleh Syniehubov wrote on Telegram. Not less than three folks have been injured, native authorities stated.
“Kharkiv is beneath large missile fireplace. A collection of explosions rang out within the metropolis and there are nonetheless ballistic missiles flying within the course of the town. Keep in protected locations,” Kharkiv mayor Ihor Terekhov stated.
Ukraine’s power grid has been closely focused since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022, with Kyiv accusing Moscow of “terror” techniques by attempting to plunge Ukrainian cities into darkness and minimize off heating to civilians all through the winter.
