During Monday’s morning rush hour, Russian forces unleashed over 100 missiles and nearly 100 attack drones across Ukraine, resulting in the deaths of at least five people and hitting energy facilities across the country. Numerous areas, including parts of Kyiv, experienced power cuts and water supply disruptions. The Ukrainian government and a power supplier reported that the attacks, occurring 2-1/2 years into Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine—which has claimed more than 13,000 lives—focused on power and other key infrastructure in at least ten regions.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said it was “one of the largest strikes,” adding that energy facilities are damaged. He urged Western allies to lift restrictions on supplying Ukraine with long-range weapons so that Kyiv could hit targets inside Russia.
Zelensky called on the United States, Britain, and France to agree to a new agreement under which they would send Ukraine radars and other equipment to help it defend itself against Russian aggression. He also said that he’s ready to meet with top European Union officials soon.
Earlier, Kyiv’s city military administration chief, Serhiy Popko, said that the initial wave of 11 Tu-95MS strategic bombers and four 4 Kalibr missile carrier ships launched rockets, dozens of Shahid drones, and a large number of cruise missiles at Ukraine. He also said air defense systems had responded to the attack, hitting many missiles and drones.
Power generation was among the targets of the Russian assault, as it has been in many other attacks over the past few months. The power utility DTEK, which supplies Kyiv and other cities with electricity, said that the latest attack destroyed or seriously damaged equipment at three thermal power plants. The company noted that the attack was the fifth in six weeks targeting its facilities.
DTEK has been a frequent target of Russian airstrikes, with attacks against its assets having risen sharply since the start of the war in February 2022. Poltava Governor Philip Pronin said that Russian attacks struck an industrial facility in his region, leaving at least one person dead.
Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said that the state-owned power grid operator Ukrenergo had been forced to introduce emergency power cuts due to the latest attack. He also called on Ukraine’s allies to grant the country permission to use its long-range weapons to strike inside Russia.
A Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman said that Ukraine has evidence that Russian forces carried out the strikes, but he declined to give details. He also stressed that Ukraine could win the war by focusing on holding territory rather than pushing for an early withdrawal from the conflict zone. “Russia cannot achieve its goals with this strategy,” he said. “It will only fuel terror.” He added that Ukraine will continue to fight with determination until it regains full sovereignty. In a separate statement, the ministry urged Ukraine’s international partners to condemn Moscow’s attacks and support its fight for peace.
