Russia Launches 99 Drones and Missiles at Ukraine, Damages Three Power Stations

Russian forces had fired 99 drones and missiles at Ukraine overnight Friday, March 29, in a barrage that damaged at least three power stations.

Russia has stepped up its aerial assaults on Ukraine in recent weeks, targeting energy infrastructure in particular in response to an uptick on fatal Ukrainian assaults on Russian border regions.

The Ukrainian interior ministry said the Russian assault had targeted 10 regions of the country, damaging power stations and private homes, and wounding several people.

"Eighty four air targets were destroyed: 58 shaheds and 26 missiles," the air force said in a statement, referring to Iranian-designed attack drones routinely deployed by Russian forces.

Drones and missiles targeted thermal and hydroelectric power plants across the country, resulting in several cities losing electricity, emergency schedules being implemented, and reports of injuries.

One of the country's main energy providers, DTEK, said three of its thermal power stations had been attacked in the barrage, leaving facilities "severely damaged," without elaborating. 

In the Dnipropetrovsk region, emergency blackout schedules have been implemented, and in the Kharkiv region, hourly blackouts are being observed.

Following the Air Alert across Ukraine, loud explosions were heard in Dnipro and its surrounding region, as well as in Cherkasy, Khmelnytsky, Ivano-Frankivsk, and Lviv regions.

Due to the shelling, several people have been wounded, including a 5-year-old child in the Kamianske District of Dnipropetrovsk region.

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"Several power facilities were damaged in the Dnipro, Kryvyi Rih, and Kamianske districts. At one of them, a man was injured, he received the necessary medical care, and will recover at home," Serhiy Lysak, the Head of Dnipropetrovsk Regional Military Administration, reported on Telegram.

"In Kamianske, where the enemy smashed a dacha cooperative, five more were wounded, including a 5-year-old girl who received medical assistance," he added.

This attack follows Russia's largest aerial assault in months, which occurred one week earlier on March 22nd, targeting energy facilities across Ukraine and resulting in at least five fatalities.