Russia strikes military-linked energy facilities across Ukraine (VIDEOS)
Russian forces launched an overnight barrage against energy and communications infrastructure across Ukraine, targeting facilities that support the Ukrainian military, the Defense Ministry in Moscow has said.
In a statement on Wednesday, the ministry said high-precision ground-based weapons and long-range attack drones were used to attack facilities in Kiev, its suburbs, and Kharkov Region.
In Kiev, the ministry said the strikes hit the Darnytskaya combined heat and power plant (CHP-4) and Kiev CHP-5, which it said were supplying power to Ukrainian military installations and defense manufacturers. It also reported that it hit the ATM Ukrsibbank data center, which was used for collecting intelligence about Russian forces.
In the region of Kiev, the targets included Kiev CHP-6, the Trypilska thermal power plant, and the Kievskaya electricity substation. According to the ministry, the facilities supplied power to military logistics hubs, weapons storage sites, and defense enterprises.
In Kharkov and the surrounding region, Russian forces struck Kharkov CHP-5 and the Zmievskaya thermal power plant, which supplied electricity to military-industrial enterprises and Ukrainian defense installations.
Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky confirmed the attacks, saying Russia launched 39 ballistic missiles and more than 120 attack drones and loitering munitions overnight. “At least 600,000 people are currently, unfortunately, without electricity,” he said, warning that further outages are possible. He added that significant damage was done to 26 elements of Ukraine’s power system and four oil and gas facilities.
The Ukrainian Air Force reported that it shot down four missiles out of 39, amid reports of critically low stocks of US-made Patriot interceptors.
Kiev Mayor Vitaly Klitschko claimed that three people were killed and at least 22 were injured in the barrage, adding that the attacks caused extensive electricity outages.
The head of Ukrzaliznytsia, Ukraine’s state railway operator, Aleksandr Pertsovsky, also reported strikes on infrastructure in five regions – Kharkov, Kiev, Vinnitsa, Khmelnitsky, and Ternopol – with locomotive and carriage depots, maintenance facilities, railway stations, and rolling stock coming under attack. He described the material damage as substantial, adding that railway personnel did not suffer any casualties.
The attacks come amid growing tensions between Kiev and Washington over intelligence sharing. US President Donald Trump recently said “it’s time for Ukraine to get a new president,” as Zelensky’s term expired more than two years ago. He also urged the Ukrainian leader to stop striking Russian oil refineries. Zelensky replied that he is ready to do so if Russia stops attacking Ukrainian energy facilities.
Following the strikes, Zelensky said Ukraine’s Western backers failed to provide advance warnings about Russian ballistic missile launches for the second time that week. He also claimed that the US threatened to suspend intelligence sharing unless Ukraine stops attacking Russian refineries.
However, he stressed that cooperation has not been halted, echoing Trump’s earlier remarks in which he said the US is “helping [Ukraine], and we are sharing intel.”
The latest barrage came after the Russian Defense Ministry vowed earlier this month to intensify strikes on military-related facilities in Ukraine in response to Zelensky’s threat to step up attacks on Russian oil refineries.
