A million people are without power across Ukraine after Russian missiles targeted energy infrastructure, Ukrainian officials said Friday. The second-largest city of Kharkiv has no electricity, and more than 53,000 households in Odesa are without power, regional heads reported.
Ukraine's energy minister, German Galushchenko, accused Russia of trying to provoke 'a large-scale failure of the country's energy system'. Russia said the strikes were revenge for recent Ukrainian attacks on Russian territory. At least five people have been killed and 14 wounded, according to officials.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said around 90 missiles and 60 Shahed drones were launched overnight, targeting sites including the DniproHES dam in Zaporizhzhia, which was hit eight times. Video footage showed the dam on fire, but authorities said there was no imminent breach. A trolleybus crossing the dam caught fire, killing the driver.
The UN's nuclear watchdog, the IAEA, said the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant lost connection to the main power line for nearly five hours following the attacks, highlighting 'ever-present dangers to nuclear safety'. The plant continued to receive external electricity from its only remaining back-up line.
Strikes were also reported in Kryvyi Rih and Vinnytsia, damaging a 'critical infrastructure object'. Russia's defence ministry said the assault was part of revenge attacks for Ukrainian incursions into Russian territory. The head of Ukraine's grid operator, Volodymyr Kudrytsky, said the attacks were worse than last winter, with dozens of grid facilities hit.
President Zelensky called for more Western military aid, including additional air defence systems, stating 'there are no delays in Russian missiles like there are in assistance to our country'. The White House condemned the strikes and renewed calls for urgent air defences for Ukraine.
