KYIV — Russia on Thursday launched a massive attack against Ukraine, using kamikaze drones and a barrage of missiles, in the first major assault against Ukrainian energy and civil infrastructure in weeks.
Authorities in several regions across the Ukraine reported casualties and damage. Authorities reported emergency power shutdowns in several regions. Trains are delayed across the country.
The largest nuclear power plant in Europe — the Zaporizhzhia NPP in the occupied part of the Zaporizhzhia region — was completely cut off from the power grid after the attack, Ukrainian Energy Minister German Galushchenko said in a statement sent to the press.
“The last line that fed the ZNPP was damaged. Now the station works on diesel generators,” Galushchenko said.
“The Russians are putting the world on the brink of a nuclear catastrophe. And this is the day after negotiations with the U.N. on the demilitarization of the plant,” he said.
On Wednesday, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was in Ukraine to discuss ongoing demilitarization efforts by the United Nations and the International Atomic Energy Agency. Soon after his visit, Russia launched the attack on energy and civil infrastructure.
Strikes were recorded in the Kyiv, Lviv, Zhytomyr, Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Kirovohrad, Zaporizhzhia, Odesa and Vinnytsia.
“Russians returned to their old scheme — massive rocket attacks on Ukraine at night, while people are sleeping. Explosions have been recorded in most regions — infrastructure facilities and residential areas have been hit,” Mykhailo Podolyak, adviser to the head of the president’s office of Ukraine, said in a tweet. “Ukraine is partially without water and electricity.”
Ukrainian Armed Forces Chief Commander Valery Zaluzhnyy reported that Russia fired 81 missiles of different types during the night: 28 X 101/X-555 missiles; 20 Kalibr cruise missiles, six X-22 missiles, eight aviation missiles, 13 C-300 air-defense missiles, and six Kinzhal hypersonic missiles.
Moscow also sent eight Shahed drones. Ukraine shot down 34 cruise missiles and four drones.
Several people were killed in Zolochiv, a town in the Lviv region, Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovyi said in a statement. Local authorities posted a video of several destroyed homes. “They shoot everywhere because they have enemies everywhere,” Sadovyi said.
In Kyiv, authorities reported that only 40 percent of residents have heating. Emergency power cuts are going on in three districts of the capital.
“Unfortunately, we have information that a hypersonic missile of the Kinzhal type hit the infrastructure object. There are partial emergency power outages in the capital. In the Sviatoshyn district, two people were injured by fragments of a rocket. They are provided with medical assistance. The remains of the rocket also damaged cars,” Serhii Popko, head of Kyiv military administration said in a statement.
