According to the Ukrainian Energy Minister, Russia has again hit neighboring Ukraine with a heavy barrage of missile and drone attacks, mainly targeting its energy infrastructure. German Galushchenko.
Facilities in the Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, Kirovohrad, Ivano-Frankivsk and Zaporizhia regions were attacked, Galushchenko wrote on Facebook on Saturday. Other civilian targets were also hit.
In the town of Balakliya in the Kharkiv region, twelve people were injured by attacks on residential buildings, including eight children.
According to the Ukrainian Air Force, Russia used 53 missiles and cruise missiles, as well as 47 drones. Some cruise missiles were launched from far behind the border by Russian Tu-95 strategic bombers flying in the Saratov region or over the Caspian Sea.
The air force said it shot down 30 Kh-101 and 4 Kalibr cruise missiles, as well as an Iskander missile. Furthermore, 46 of the 47 drones were intercepted.
The attack is part of Russia’s systematic attempts to destroy Ukraine’s energy supplies. In the past two years, the Russian military has already destroyed about 8,000 megawatts of energy capacity in Ukraine.
The aim is to break the will to resist of the Ukrainian civilian population. Russia’s continued attacks on its neighbor lead to frequent power outages.
Kiev has just had to raise electricity prices for the second time since the start of the war, pushing rates up by more than 60%, according to a government statement on Friday.
The price increase is necessary to prevent power outages and “maintain the system,” Galushchenko said in the statement. Significant amounts were needed for repair work on damaged power stations, substations and power lines, he noted.
