Russia targets Ukrainian energy infrastructure on Christmas Day

Russia has launched a massive missile barrage targeting Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.

A thermal power plant was struck in the attack, prompting Ukrainians to take shelter in metro stations on Christmas morning.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said more than 70 missiles, including ballistic missiles, and more than 100 attack drones were used to strike Ukraine’s power sources, in a statement on X. Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha said one Russian missile passed Moldovan and Romanian airspace.

Heating

At least one person was killed in the Dnipro region in the attack, Ukrainian vice prime minister Oleksii Kuleba said on Telegram, adding that heating was disrupted for 155 residential buildings in Ivano-Frankivsk. He also said 500,000 recipients or 2,677 buildings in the Kharkiv region were without heat.

“Putin deliberately chose Christmas for an attack. What could be more inhumane?” Mr Zelensky said. “They continue to fight for a blackout in Ukraine.”

He said Ukraine has managed to shoot down at least 50 missiles and a significant number of drones.

Ukrainian energy minister, Herman Halushchenko, said Russia again “massively attacks energy infrastructure” in a Facebook statement. Ukraine’s Air Force said multiple missiles were fired at the Kharkiv, Dnipro, and Poltava regions in the east of the country.

“The (electricity) distribution system operator takes the necessary measures to limit consumption to minimise negative consequences for the power system,” Mr Halushchenko said. “As soon as the security situation allows, energy workers will establish the damage caused.”

Thermal power plant

Ukraine’s biggest private energy company, DTEK, said Russia struck one of their thermal power plants on Wednesday morning, making it the 13th attack on Ukraine’s power grid this year.

“Denying light and warmth to millions of peace-loving people as they celebrate Christmas is a depraved and evil act that must be answered,” Maxim Timchenko, chief executive of DTEK wrote on his X account.

Ukrainian state energy operator, Ukrenergo, applied pre-emptive power outages across the country, due to a “massive missile attack” leading to electricity going out in several districts of the capital, Kyiv.

At least seven strikes targeted Kharkiv sparking fires across the city, regional head Oleh Syniehubov wrote on Telegram. At least three people were injured, local authorities said.

“Kharkiv is under massive missile fire. A series of explosions rang out in the city and there are still ballistic missiles flying in the direction of the city. Stay in safe places,” Kharkiv mayor Ihor Terekhov said.