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Ukrainian energy infrastructure has come under attack in seven regions, the country’s energy minister said on Thursday morning. Kiev’s top military commander said that Russia had fired over 80 missiles at targets in Ukraine.
According to Energy Minister German Galushko, power-related sites in Kiev, Nikolaev, Kharkov, Zaporozhye, Odessa, Dnepropetrovsk and Zhitomir regions were struck by Russian missiles.
The Zaporozhye Region became part of Russia last year, after a referendum there showed overwhelming support. Kiev rejected the ballot as a “sham” and remains in control of its northern part.
General Valery Zaluzhny, the commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian armed forces, said that Russia had launched a total of 81 missiles, including six hypersonic Kinzhal missiles, as well as eight kamikaze drones. He claimed that many of them were intercepted or diverted from their intended targets.
DTEK, a leading Ukrainian utility, said that three power plants were damaged, without specifying their locations. A company update on repair work indicated that the Odessa Region was one of those affected.
Reports of explosions have come from various parts of Ukraine since early morning, with warnings by officials to stay in shelters.
Kiev Mayor Vitaly Klitschko stated on social media that there were at least two powerful explosions in the Ukrainian capital, with two people said to be injured. Roughly 40% of electricity consumers in the city have been left without power due to emergency shutdowns, he said.
Blackouts have been announced in many parts of the country as a “preventive step” to avoid possible damage to the grid, according to the Kiev Region administration.
The disruption prompted the national train operator Ukrzaliznytsia to roll out backup diesel trains. It notified passengers to expect delays of up to one hour.
The Ukrainian nuclear authority Energoatom reported that the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant, which is controlled by Russia, had been cut from the Ukrainian grid supplying it with electricity necessary for its safe operation.
It said the power loss was due to “Russian rocket shelling,” but Vladimir Rogov, a senior Russian official in Zaporozhye Region, denied that there was any military action in the area that could have caused damage to the line. He alleged that the Ukrainians had shut it down “out of spite,” forcing the use of on-site backup generators.
The Russian armed forces launch regular attacks on parts of the Ukrainian energy infrastructure, which they describe as crucial to its military capabilities. The Russian Defense Ministry has yet to confirm the alleged missile barrage on Thursday.
Ukraine sounded an air raid alert for its entire territory early in the morning, with the emergency lasting for roughly seven hours.
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