KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia launched a massive airstrike on Ukraine on Friday, involving dozens of cruise missiles and drones.
The Russian army targeted Ukraine’s power grid, Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko wrote on his Facebook page. “The enemy continues his terror,” he said.
Halushchenko said energy workers are doing whatever is necessary to “minimize negative impacts on the energy system,” and promised to release more details about the damage as soon as the security situation allows.
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The Ukrainian Air Force reported that several attack drones were launched into Ukraine overnight, followed by swarms of cruise missiles in the country’s airspace. It said Russia has also used Kinzhal air-launched ballistic missiles against Ukraine’s western regions.
Friday’s attack is the latest in a series of such raids that have raised fears that the Kremlin is seeking to cripple the country’s power generation capacity as winter approaches.
Since the invasion in February 2022, Russia has ruthlessly ravaged Ukraine’s electricity system, resulting in repeated closures of critical heating and drinking water supplies during the bitter winter months, in an apparent attempt to break Ukrainian spirit and resolve. Moscow has said the attacks were aimed at hampering Ukraine’s defense industry, which produces missiles, drones, armored vehicles and artillery, among other things.
The previous large-scale attack on November 28 involved around 200 missiles and drones, leaving more than a million homes without power until emergency teams restored supplies.
