The Ukrainian Air Force and a regional official reported on Saturday that air defenses shot down nine out of fourteen Russian drones during a nighttime attack targeting energy infrastructure in the city of Kryvyi Rih.
This marks the second drone attack on Kryvyi Rih, located in central Ukraine, within two days. The city is also the birthplace of President Volodymyr Zelensky. The Air Force Command stated that the Russian military directed a significant portion of the drones at energy infrastructure facilities in the Dnipropetrovsk, Odesa, and Mykolaiv regions. In addition, Russia launched two Kh-59 air-launched cruise missiles from the Belgorod region.
The mayor of the city, Oleksandr Vilkul, mentioned that energy facilities were bombed, leading to power outages affecting thousands of residents. Water and heating supplies were disrupted in some areas as temperatures dropped slightly below freezing. Vilkul added that hospitals are currently operating on electric generators to maintain power.
The Air Force in a statement mentioned that drones were shot down over four regions in the central and southern parts of the country.
The recent conflict between Russia and Ukraine, often referred to as the Russian invasion of Ukraine, began in earnest on February 24, 2022, but has roots stretching back to 2014 and beyond. This military engagement is part of the broader Russo-Ukrainian War, which saw earlier conflicts such as the annexation of Crimea by Russia and fighting in the Donbas region following the Euromaidan Revolution.
In 2014, the situation escalated when Russian-backed separatists took control over parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions in eastern Ukraine, areas that Russia later emphasized as its priorities after its initial offensive towards Kyiv did not succeed. This period also saw the illegal annexation of Crimea by Russia, an act that met with international condemnation but little effective resistance. The conflict from 2014 until the large-scale invasion in 2022 resulted in over 14,000 casualties and displaced around 1.5 million people.
By the time of the 2022 invasion, Ukraine had strengthened its military capabilities and civil society networks, despite being significantly outmatched by Russia in terms of GDP, population, and military strength. At the peak of its 2022 invasion, Russia controlled up to 22% of Ukrainian territory, a figure that has fluctuated due to ongoing conflicts.
The invasion triggered a massive global response, with many countries rallying to support Ukraine. The conflict has been marked by Ukraine’s resilient defense and the international community’s efforts to provide support, despite the daunting challenges posed by Russia’s military might.
