Russian forces launched a large-scale missile and drone attack on Ukraine on Tuesday night, causing destruction in multiple regions and damaging the country’s energy infrastructure, officials said.
Ukraine’s Defense Ministry said Russia targeted the cities of Lviv, Vinnytsia, Kyiv, Poltava, Ivano-Frankivsk, and the Kirovohrad and Zaporizhzhia regions. Air defense systems downed 39 out of 55 Russian missiles. These comprised 33 Kh-101 cruise missiles, four Kalibr cruise missiles, and two Kh-59/69 cruise missiles, as well as 20 Iranian-made Shahed kamikaze drones.
“On a day meant for remembrance, Ukraine was hit by a severe missile and drone attack. The world must unite to prevent the rise of new Nazism,” Ukraine’s defense ministry said, referring to May 8, VE Day, when Ukraine commemorates the defeat of Nazi Germany.
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Newsweek has contacted Russia’s defense ministry for comment by email.
Among the targets were three thermal power plants owned by DTEK, the largest private energy company in Ukraine, which said the attacks caused significant damage.
DTEK said it was “another extremely tough night for Ukrainian energy” and that it marked the fifth attack on its facilities in the last month and a half.
“The enemy attacked three thermal power plants. Equipment was seriously damaged. Power engineers are dealing with the aftermath of the attack,” DTEK said. “Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, DTEK thermal power plants have been attacked approximately 180 times. During this time, 51 workers were injured and three power engineers were killed in shelling at the stations.”
Ukraine’s Minister of Energy German Galushchenko said electricity generation and transmission facilities were struck in six regions.
“The enemy does not abandon plans to deprive Ukrainians of light. Economical use of electricity is the contribution of each of us to victory. Responsible consumption in the morning and evening hours is especially important,” Galushchenko said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a statement that “all necessary services are already working on the ground, eliminating the consequences of terror.”
“The whole world has to clearly understand who is who. The entire world has no right to give Nazism another chance,” he added.
The missile barrage comes as Kyiv continues to launch drone strikes against Russian oil infrastructure, hampering the country’s gasoline production. Olha Stefanishyna, a Ukrainian deputy prime minister, said in March that Russian oil refineries were legitimate military targets for Ukraine.
Independent Russian online news outlet the Moscow Times reported on Wednesday that there have been at least 20 attacks on Russian refineries and oil depots over the past four months.
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