Ukraine reports “massive attacks” on energy facilities – Poland launches jets
Russia hit Ukraine again with massive missile and drone attacks during the night. Air alarms were sounded across the country, and the focus was once again on energy systems. Poland launched fighter jets.
bAccording to the Energy Ministry, supply facilities in the central east of the country were attacked in nightly Russian air strikes on Ukraine. The “massive attack” with drones and missiles was particularly aimed at energy production plants in the Dnipropetrovsk, Poltava and Cherkassy regions, Ukrainian Energy Minister German Galuschenko said on Friday. There had been air alerts throughout the country during the night.
The Ukrainian Air Force said in the morning that Moscow had fired 99 drones and missiles into Ukraine during the night, 84 of which were destroyed. The Ukrainian energy supplier DTEK reported that three thermal power plants were badly damaged by the nighttime shelling.
According to Dnipropetrovsk Oblast Governor Serhiy Lysak, air defense shot down 10 drones over the region. In addition, four rockets were destroyed over the city of Dnipro. “Several energy facilities were damaged (…) One man was injured on one of these facilities,” he added. In the city of Kamianske, an agricultural cooperative was hit and five people were injured.
The Polish army said it had launched military aircraft to monitor Polish airspace in view of Russian shelling of the neighboring country. “Polish and allied aircraft are operating in Polish airspace,” the army said via X. There were warnings about the aircraft noise from jets, especially in the southeastern part of the country on the border with Ukraine.
Russia regularly attacks Ukraine at night in its war of aggression that has been ongoing for more than two years. In recent weeks, Moscow has increased airstrikes in retaliation for Ukrainian bombings of Russian border regions, targeting key infrastructure such as power plants.
This is intended to further psychologically wear down the people in the country. According to the electricity network operator Ukrenerho, scheduled power cuts are currently necessary in the Kharkiv region. The power supply is also at risk in the Odessa and Khmelnytskyi regions. Ukraine currently imports electricity from five western neighboring countries.