Russia launched a “massive” missile strike at Ukraine overnight, damaging four power plants in the latest barrage targeting the country’s energy supply, officials in Kyiv said on Saturday.
Two people were killed and at least 10 more wounded in Russian shelling.
Moscow has launched some of its largest-ever strikes on Ukraine’s energy facilities in recent months, knocking out a significant chunk of production, and triggering blackouts and energy rationing across the country.
Ukraine also fired more than 60 drones at southern Russia overnight, Moscow said, in one of its largest overnight drone attacks. Kyiv claimed to have hit two oil refineries and a military air base.
“Russian armed forces staged another massive missile attack on Ukraine,” the Ukrainian army said in its regular morning update.
“The enemy has once again attacked the country’s energy infrastructure. In particular, facilities in Dnipropetrovsk, Ivano-Frankivsk, and Lviv regions were attacked. There is damage to equipment,” Energy Minister German Galushchenko said in a Facebook post.
The Lviv and Ivano-Frankivsk regions are in Ukraine’s west, bordering the EU and hundreds of kilometers from the frontlines.
The Ukrainian Air Force said Moscow had fired 34 missiles, of which 21 were shot down.
Kyiv said Moscow is escalating its attacks from the air and on land ahead of nationwide celebrations on May 9, when Russia marks victory in World War II, and while Ukraine awaits the arrival of crucial US weapons.
Ukrainian Drone Strikes Gazprom Refinery in Bashkiria, Sets Record Range of 1500 km
Energy rationing in Ukraine
The DTEK power operator said equipment at four thermal power plants was “severely damaged” in the overnight strikes.
State electricity operator Ukrenergo said it had disconnected its main overhead power line in the west of the country as a preventative measure.
Officials asked energy users to limit their power usage.
“We ask all consumers to consume electricity sparingly. The industry is asked to maximize electricity imports and use alternative power sources,” Ukrenergo said in a statement.
The head of the western Lviv region called on residents not to use kettles, irons, washing machines and microwaves between 7:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. to preserve limited energy supplies.
Separate shelling on a village close to the Russian border in the northeastern Kharkiv region killed one person on Saturday, Ukraine’s state emergency services agency said.
One person was also killed and eight wounded in shelling of the southern Kherson region, Ukraine’s national police said.
The overnight missile strikes injured two people in the central city of Kryvyi Rih, regional governor Sergiy Lysak said. Another person was wounded in the northeastern Kharkiv region, emergency services said.
Moscow claims 68 Kyiv drones downed
Ukraine also launched its own massive drone attack on Russia’s southern Krasnodar region overnight.
A Ukrainian defense source told AFP its drones had hit two oil refineries and a military airfield in the region, just east of the occupied and illegally annexed Crimean Peninsula.
“Ukrainian drones struck the atmospheric distillation columns of the Ilsky and Slovyansky refineries. These are key technological facilities,” the source said.
Russian officials in the Krasnodar region reported a fire at an oil refinery in Sloviansk-on-Kuban.
The refinery partially suspended operations as a result, Russian state media reported, citing a company representative.
Videos and photos on social media showed a large fire raging overnight at the site after a series of blasts.
Moscow earlier said that Ukraine had launched one of its largest-ever attempted overnight drone attacks on the Krasnodar region.
“Air defenses destroyed and intercepted 66 Ukrainian drones over the territory of the Krasnodar region and two over the Crimean Peninsula,” the defense ministry said in a statement.
The governor of Russia’s Belgorod border region said later on Saturday that five people were injured when a Ukrainian drone fell on a village road a few kilometers from the border.
Kyiv has hit several Russian oil refineries in the western part of the country in recent months, despite reports of concern in Washington that the strikes could be seen as escalatory and might drive up global oil prices.
Ukraine says targeting Russia’s vital energy sector is legitimate as it is a source of fuel and funds for the Russian military.
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Comments (7)
@MRGA trolls FROM Russia CONTINUES TO Soil themselves,
Hi MRGA troll 'jack'.
Yeah I remember that quote from the other 4 times you did not have any useful counter arguments, and you got bored of just swearing, so so instead you pasted that in your response.
Odd that russian engineering firm has english sayings framed on the wall. I don't doubt you saw it though, as I'm aware janitors have full access to most offices.
Speaking of people whose words reveal their ignorance (or creepiness?) remember when putinrump said this about his own daughter:
"She does have a very nice figure... If [Ivanka] weren't my daughter, perhaps I'd be dating her."
Your response similarly reveal a similar lack of interpersonal awareness and couth. Do you still get invited to family gatherings or are you like the creepy relative they avoid or write nasty books about?
@MRGA Troll Depau,
I can extract your angst every time. It means what I say is worrisome to putin's regime. Thats very motivational.
Putin has run out of credible threats for the allies. No-one listens to his nuclear ones anymore since China & India spanked putin on this topic. You also have nothing credible to say.
What we do know is redirection of frozen russian assets to support Ukraine is finally underway. We know is that over $120 Billion (EU, US, other allies) in 2024 aid....30% more that committed in either 2022 or 2023 is finally now flowing. Ukraine already has the ATACMS denied them the last 2 years. Same with French and UK longer range missiles..many more coming. These effectively triple the range of strategic russian assets they can now target compared to the first 2 years.
The F16 as a launch platform for additional high weaponry are a few months away. 6 other nations no longer exclude active presence in Ukraine. More air defence systems are arriving. Sanctions busters are being ferreted out.
How did you figure the picture was going to get better for russia the remainder of this year?
The Kremlin leadership and its propaganda networks fear is palpable.
Позор. бесконечная война. многие в России тоже хотят, что все закончилось
It is now 13:33 pm on the East Coast of the United States and still this worthless joke of a rage supposedly covering the war in their very own country has failed to offer a headline regarding last night's drone raid on Russia's Kushchyovskaya Air Base where they took out the glide devices that are attached to 500 pound dumb bombs.
Here's the youtube link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ew7rX6n1lQ
Please subscribe to the Suchomimus youtube channel as he constantly raises funds for Ukrainian troops to purchase equipment, especially four wheel drive vehicles for emergency medical evacuation vehicles to get wounded troops quickly back to medical care.
Slava Ukrani!
About 4 hours ago Suchomimus uploaded on his YouTube channel a video of Ukrainian drones hitting the Kushchyovskaya Air Base. The primary target appears to have been storage of 500 pound glide bombs. The Kyiv Post? Crickets, so far. What a pathetic joke for a news source.
My crystal ball sees two wars before the Russians are defeated.
The first is the current one in which Ukraine will need to swallow a bitter pill and gain peace through the loss of territory and abandonment of some citizens.
The second war will be at some future time when Ukraine possesses nuclear weapons and is stronger than Russia militarily. It will then regain all lost territory including Crimea.
@Imokru2, You remain fucking stupid without any hope.
@Imokru2,
There is no reason for Ukraine to loose any territory unless allied leadership continues to share similarly weak-minded, unprincipled and poor strategic thinking. The west is quite capable of pushing putin's forces entirely out of Ukraine's territory. If russia's losses against lessor provisioned Ukraine (using our slowly metered out old stock), have been so disproportionately higher; removing remaining russian assets would be like shooting fish in a barrel for Nato forces. They've had >2 years to rehearse their Ukraine campaign
Russia cannot retaliate with nuclear. It cannot use nuclear for offensive purposes. Both China and India have in addition to other nuclear powers stated that would be unacceptable. Nuclear is only for protecting ones own nation as a retiatory measure if its very existence is threateded by an attacking force. A first strike nuclear option for russia seals its fate as a nation of only ash and rouble.
NATO at Ukraine's request (which it embarrassingly continues to ignore) could right now be actively defending Ukraine within international law. In contrast, International law remains 100% against putin's continued invasion of Ukraine.
Russia will gain nothing in this war. It is though getting closer, at entirely its own fault, to again failing as a viable nation.
@John, so many words and so little content at the same time. UA has no chances to win this war but they’re useful as they weaken Russia for decades. Saying UA will win is naive
@Depau, You got that right Depau!
Troll 'jack' (aka Depau) you really need to stop self flagellating before you go blind. Stick with pumping the putinrump...a strategy that suits your hard disposition better.
@John, Hey John the loon from Canada, the principle of a consulting civil engineering firm I worked at had the following statement framed on the wall above his desk:
"Blessed is the man, who, having nothing to say, abstains from offering wordly evidence of that fact."
That statement applies to you, you fucking shameless arrogant bloviating idiot.
@FUCK OFF BACK TO RUSSIA, SCUM !!!
@DB, poor little DB always so so angry. Maybe John from Canada can console you? You could wear nice dress for little John?
A kh-101 missile cost is 13 million dollars ...A kinzhal missile costs around 6.5 million dollars while 3 million dollars is the price of an iskander rocket .
Hope that these expenses would be switched or converted to sustainable green development during peace ...
@Hope, Thd only way peace will be achieved is if Russia is soundly defeated in Ukraine and the Russian people or the ethnic minorities in their individual provinces rise up and revolt and overthrown the current power. Hopefully (pun) this takes place with the ethnic minorities gaining independence with their own sovereign countries. Then and only then will finances be invested towards peaceful purposes.
@HOPE SPEAKS HOPE, What is defeat of russia? reclaiming Crimea? I think that won't happen
@ben, Ben, there you go thinking again. You have a room temperature IQ level when it comes to the conditions in Ukraine. The AFU is proving Russia is the second greatest military power in...Ukraine. Please. Check out the UK Ministry of Defence X page. More specifically their near daily Intelligence Updates. They have inside information on the political difficulties faced by Putrid to mobilize further forces. Inform yourself.