Thousands of people across seven regions of Ukraine have been left without electricity following a large-scale Russian overnight attack that damaged more than ten civilian facilities, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday.
Moscow, for its part, said it struck Ukrainian targets using hypersonic missiles, describing the attacks as retaliation for Ukrainian strikes against what it called “civilian targets” in Russia.
Russia’s Ministry of Defence said it carried out “mass strikes” against Ukrainian military and energy infrastructure, mainly using Kinzhal hypersonic missiles, “in response to Ukraine’s terrorist attacks against civilian targets in Russia”.
'Not About Ending the War'
In a post on Telegram, Zelensky said Russia launched more than 450 drones and over 30 missiles at Ukraine.
“The main impact of the attack fell on our energy system, in the south and in the Odesa region,” Zelensky said, adding that thousands of families in seven regions of the country were left without electricity.
“It is important for everyone to see what Russia is doing now, because it is clear that this is not about ending the war,” he stressed.
“They continue to aim at destroying our state and causing further suffering to our people,” the Ukrainian President added.
Since its invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Moscow has repeatedly targeted the country’s energy infrastructure, leading to frequent power outages nationwide.
Ukraine’s electricity grid operator said that a “significant number” of households in the southern regions of Odesa and Mykolaiv are experiencing power cuts, while a complete blackout has been reported in parts of the Kherson region that remain under Ukrainian control.