New attacks target Ukraine’s energy systems – officials

A large-scale attack against Ukraine’s energy system has been reported on Sunday. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrey Sibiga claimed that Russia launched one of its largest air attacks against the country since the conflict began. 

“Another mass attack on the energy system,” Ukraine’s minister of energy, German Galuschenko, wrote on Facebook, as reports emerged of coordinated strikes on electrical generation and transmission facilities across the country. In response, the national electricity operator has implemented emergency power outages.

Authorities in Volyn Region reported damage to energy infrastructure, while Poltava Region was also subjected to emergency blackouts. The Rovno regional water utility warned residents of potential water supply disruptions due to the strikes.

In Odessa, power outages were compounded by a loss of water services, according to the city council. Local social media channels also reported explosions in Vinnitsa and Lviv regions.

Officials in Kiev reported that missile debris fell in several districts of the capital.

The Russian Defense Ministry has yet to confirm the strikes.

Earlier this year, Russia stepped up its attacks on Ukrainian military and energy infrastructure. In April, the Defense Ministry stated that these strikes are in response to Ukraine’s efforts to target Russian oil facilities, emphasizing that the operations focus on sites that aid the Ukrainian defense industry and do not target civilian areas. Meanwhile, Ukraine has consistently carried out assaults on energy installations deep within Russia, including oil storage facilities and refineries, using kamikaze drones.

In October, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denis Shmigal stated that nearly all of the country’s thermal power generation capacity had been taken out by long-range attacks by Russia, noting that the country must now depend on substitutes.