Russia launches missile, drone attack on Ukrainian energy facilities

Moscow/Kyiv, Aug 27 – Russian military launched a massive strike on Ukraine’s critical energy infrastructure facilities, the Russian Defence Ministry said.

“This morning, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation launched a massive strike with high-precision long-range air and sea-based weapons, striking unmanned aerial vehicles at critical energy infrastructure facilities that ensured the operation of the military-industrial complex of Ukraine. All the assigned targets were hit,” it said on Monday in a statement.

The Ministry added that two electronic warfare stations and four field ammunition depots were destroyed over the past 24 hours, Xinhua news agency reported.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday on Telegram that Russia launched more than 100 missiles of various types and about 100 drones, calling it “one of the largest attacks — a combined strike”.

Zelensky said the attack had caused extensive damage to the energy sector, but facilities are currently being restored.

Ukraine’s government-run Ukrinform news agency said that explosions struck the Ukrainian capital, the cities of Dnipro, Kropyvnytsky, Vinnytsia and Kryvyi Rih in central Ukraine and the eastern city of Kharkiv.

According to the Ukrainian Air Force, Russia fired at Ukraine several groups of combat drones and cruise missiles.

Eleven Russian Tu-95MC strategic bombers and six Tu-22M3 long-range supersonic bombers were airborne during the attack.

Ukrainians had been expecting a major Russian missile attack for some time. The US Embassy issued a warning last week of an elevated risk of attack around Ukrainian Independence Day, which Ukraine marked on Saturday.

Nearly 15 missiles and 15 drones targeting the capital of Kyiv were downed, Serhiy Popko, head of Kyiv’s military administration, wrote on Telegram. Both Russia and Ukraine deny deliberately targeting civilians.

Each says its attacks are aimed at destroying infrastructure critical to the other’s war effort.