Russia launched a barrage of missiles and drones on Saturday, damaging energy facilities and critical infrastructure across Ukraine and injuring at least four people. This attack prompted President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to issue a fresh plea for more air defense assistance.
The national grid operator Ukrenergo reported that this was the sixth major Russian air attack on Ukraine’s power sector since March, impacting energy facilities in the east, center, and west of the country. Ukraine’s air force stated that it shot down 35 of 53 Russian missiles and 46 of 47 attack drones used in the strikes. These attacks have further strained Ukraine’s already challenged energy system as the war enters its third year.
“Russia’s main goal is to normalize terror, to use the lack of sufficient air defense and determination of Ukraine’s partners,” Zelenskiy said on Telegram. He emphasized the need for additional “Patriots” and other modern air defense systems, as well as expedited and expanded F-16 deliveries to Ukraine to support its soldiers.
This year, Ukraine has struggled with delays in military aid from the United States, increased attacks on its infrastructure, and Moscow’s efforts to expand the frontline, 27 months after its full-scale invasion.
On Saturday, Russian forces attacked energy facilities in the eastern Donetsk region, southeastern Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk regions, central Kirovohrad region, and the Ivano-Frankivsk region in the west. Air alerts lasted for more than three hours across these regions, with many people seeking shelter in the middle of the night.
Lviv regional governor Maksym Kozytskyi reported that four people were injured, and three critical infrastructure facilities were hit in the region bordering Poland, though he did not provide further details on the facilities.
DTEK, Ukraine’s largest private energy-generating company, stated that its two thermal power plants were hit and equipment was “seriously damaged.” Russia’s defense ministry claimed it was striking Ukraine’s military-industrial complex and energy facilities in retaliation for Kyiv’s attacks on Russian energy facilities.
Ukraine has increased drone attacks on Russian oil facilities this year, attempting to find a pressure point against the Kremlin. Russian forces are advancing in the eastern Donbas region and have opened a new front in the Kharkiv region in the northeast.
Russia targeted Ukraine’s energy system in the first winter of the war and renewed its assault on the grid in March as Ukraine’s stocks of Western air defense missiles dwindled. Ukrainian officials have noted that Western aid has begun to arrive, but recent Russian bombardments have knocked out much of the thermal and hydropower generation, caused blackouts, and pushed electricity imports to record highs.
