Russia Strikes Ukrainian Energy Infrastructure

Late Friday night into Saturday, Russia launched a massive new attack on energy infrastructure in western and southern Ukraine, while Ukrainian drone attacks disrupted two electrical substations in Enerhodar.

According to the Ukrainian Ministry of Energy, damage was inflicted on facilities belonging to Ukrenergo (the national electricity company) in the Zaporizhzhia (south) and Lviv (west) regions. Two employees were hospitalized due to injuries sustained in Zaporizhzhia, as reported by Agence France-Presse.

The Ukrainian Air Force reported on Saturday that air defenses had shot down 12 out of 16 missiles and 13 drones launched by Russia during the previous night's attack, according to Reuters.

The Ukrainian Air Force also noted that the Russian attack, the second major assault within days, targeted critical infrastructure in various parts of the country.

In another development, Russian-appointed officials said on Friday that Ukrainian drone attacks had disrupted two electrical substations in Enerhodar, the town serving the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which is occupied by Russia. The attack cut off electricity to most of its residents, according to Reuters.

However, an official from the Zaporizhzhia plant, Europe’s largest nuclear facility with six reactors, indicated that it was not affected by the military action.

Russian forces seized the plant in the early days of their invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and since then, Moscow and Kyiv have repeatedly accused each other of endangering its safety. Currently, the plant is not producing electricity.

Edward Senovoz, a senior official in Enerhodar, wrote on Telegram that the latest attack had damaged the second of two substations supplying power to the city.

He added that the other substation was destroyed on Wednesday.