Russia launched a new attack on Ukraine, targeting energy facilities (added)

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Kyiv, May 8. (AP-AFP-BNS). Russia launched a new attack against Ukraine in the early hours of Wednesday, targeting energy facilities.

As the full-scale war has dragged on for more than two years, Moscow has stepped up its attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. As a result of the attacks, many areas were left without power and electricity rationing began.

The Ukrainian Air Force announced on Wednesday that it had destroyed 39 Russian missiles and 20 drones in a massive attack by the Russians.

In addition, at least three people are reported to have been injured.

At the time, the Polish military reported that Poland had raised its air force early Wednesday.

In a statement of the Air Force of Ukraine on the Telegram social network, it is said that the Russians launched a total of 55 missiles of various types and 21 attack drones.

A total of 59 targets were destroyed: 33 Ch-101/Ch-555 cruise missiles, four Kalibr cruise missiles, two Ch-59/Ch-69 guided air missiles and 20 Shahed drones.

The Russians hit critical infrastructure facilities and important strategic facilities, the report said.

Strikes on energy facilities

The Ministry of Energy of Ukraine said that energy infrastructure was attacked in Poltava, Kirovohrad, Zaporizhia, Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk and Vinytsia regions. The extent of the damage is being assessed, efforts are being made to restore the electricity supply.

According to DTEK, Ukraine’s largest private energy company, three thermal power plants were damaged in recent attacks. The company did not say where they were located, but said the facilities were seriously damaged.

This was the fifth attack on the company’s energy facilities in a month and a half, DTEK reported.

In the Kharkiv region, electricity supply was limited to approximately 200,000 people. households, the Ministry of Energy reported.

“The enemy has not given up its plans to deprive Ukrainians of light. Another massive attack on our energy industry!” stated Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko.

The extent of the damage is still unclear, but in the Poltava region, a Russian drone hit a critical infrastructure facility and caused a fire, regional governor Filip Pronin told Telegram.

Residents also reported hearing explosions in Kyiv early in the morning. The military administration of the Kyiv region also reported explosions.

According to the local administration, Russian forces fired several cruise missiles into the capital, causing the city to declare an air threat for more than three hours.

“Missiles flew to Kyiv from various directions – all air targets in the capital’s area were destroyed,” said the city’s military administration.

A fire broke out in a civil infrastructure facility in the city of Brovary, Kyiv region, after debris fell from Russian missiles, Mayor Ihoris Sapožka reported. Two people – a 62-year-old woman and a 34-year-old man – were hospitalized after the attack.

In the Kyiv region, a house and a car were damaged by falling rocket debris. Power outages have also been reported in the region.

Aimed at railways

The energy infrastructure in the Kirovohrad region was damaged, Governor Andrijus Raikovyčius reported. An eight-year-old child was injured in the impact. At least 13 houses and nearly 30 garages were damaged.

According to Maksym Kozycki, the governor of the western Lviv region, two energy facilities were hit in this region far from the front lines.

The city of Kherson, which Ukraine took back in November 2022, is also in the crosshairs of Russia.

The city was “partially left without electricity” as a result of the nighttime strikes, said Oleksandr Prokudin, the head of the region.

In the morning, Russian attacks targeted Kherson’s civilian railway infrastructure: the city’s station and tracks were damaged, the Ukrainian Railways Company reported.

“Ukrzaliznycia is again in the enemy’s crosshairs!” – it stated in its statement.

Russian forces have stepped up attacks on Ukraine’s railway infrastructure in an effort to disrupt the transport of military cargo.

The operational command of the Polish armed forces said in a statement that “all necessary procedures have been initiated to ensure the security of Polish airspace” due to the Russian attack on Ukraine.

She added that she is “constantly monitoring the situation”.

At the time, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi noted that the latest attack occurred on the day commemorating the end of World War II fighting in Europe.

“A massive missile attack by Nazi Putin on the day of commemoration of the victims of World War II and victory over Nazism,” V. Zelensky told Telegram. – The whole world should clearly understand who is who; the whole world has no right to give Nazism another chance.”

Kyiv also says Moscow is stepping up air and ground attacks ahead of May 9, when Russia will commemorate the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in World War II.

In addition, Ukraine is waiting for the delivery of important weapons stocks from the United States.

Editor Rūta Androshiūnaitė

[email protected]Foreign News Section