Russia launched close to 1,500 attack drones and more than 70 missiles at Ukraine in a week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday, as Moscow plugs away with persistent strikes on the country's critical energy infrastructure.
The Context
Russia has frequently targeted Ukraine's energy infrastructure heading into the colder months during the nearly four years of full-scale war. Ukraine's backers, including the U.S. and Canada, have helped prop up Kyiv's energy sector, with many nations contributing to a Vienna-based support fund that enables repairs inside Ukraine.
What To Know
Moscow launched roughly 1,170 guided aerial bombs at Ukraine in the past seven days, Zelensky said. "There were hits on ordinary residential buildings and civilian infrastructure, as well as numerous terrorist attacks targeting the energy sector," Zelensky said in a statement posted to social media.
Ukraine's air force said on Sunday Russia had launched two ballistic missiles and nearly 80 drones overnight. One of the ballistic missiles and 12 strike drones hit six locations with fragments landing at two further sites, the military said.
Two people were killed overnight in the southern Odesa region and another person injured in the northern Chernihiv region, according to emergency services. Ivan Fedorov, the governor of the southern Zaporizhzhia region, said three people had been injured.
The "entire" eastern Donetsk region lost power on Sunday, a local official said. Vadym Filashkin, the governor of Donetsk, said emergency services were on site and attempting to restore power.
Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and has claimed to have annexed the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions of eastern Ukraine. Moscow had seized control of the Crimean Peninsula to the south of mainland Ukraine in 2014 when it backed separatists in Donetsk and Luhansk, the two regions collectively known as the industrial Donbas.
Ukrenergo, the country's state-owned electricity transmission system operator, said on Saturday it would impose restrictions on energy use in some areas of Ukraine. "The reason for the introduction of restrictions is the consequences of massive Russian missile and drone attacks on energy facilities," it said in a statement.
The energy firm said on Thursday Russia had launched three large-scale attacks on infrastructure in October. Russia's government said on Thursday it had launched "a massive strike" with long-range precision weapons and drones against Ukrainian energy sites, military airfields and facilities propping up Kyiv's defense industry.
Ukraine struck and damaged an oil tanker and a terminal operated by energy giant Rosneft in Russia's Krasnodar region late on Saturday using five drones, a source in Ukraine's SBU security agency told Newsweek. The drones also hit port buildings in the coastal town of Tuapse, the source said.
Russia's Defense Ministry said its air defenses had intercepted 164 Ukrainian drones overnight, including 32 over Krasnodar.
What People Are Saying
"It is clear that Moscow aims to inflict harm primarily on our people," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday. "That is why we are actively working to ensure reliable support for our energy sector this winter."
