Ukraine’s energy infrastructure was hit in an attack on Memorial Day

Russia launched a “massive” missile and drone attack on energy facilities across Ukraine early this morning, President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

More than 50 missiles and 20 drones were used in the attack, Mr. Zelensky said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

It is the latest in a series of Russian attacks on Ukraine’s energy grid, which Moscow says is a legitimate military target.

The attacks targeted seven regions across the country and came on a key national holiday commemorating Nazi Germany’s defeat in World War II.

Mr. Zelensky drew parallels on social media between the German invasion of the Soviet Union and the Russian invasion of Ukraine, calling Russian President Vladimir Putin’s regime the “Moscow Nazis.”

“Russia has brought pages from World War II textbooks back into the global media spotlight, showing that Nazism is resurfacing with every new crime,” Mr. Zelensky wrote.

“This time it simply has a new label: ‘Made in Russia’.”

According to Ukraine’s largest energy supplier, DTEK, at least three thermal power plants were “severely damaged” in Wednesday’s attack, the fifth on the company’s facilities in six weeks.

The Ukrainian Energy Ministry said that as a result of the attack, there could be restrictions on energy supplies to industrial consumers between 1800 (1600 BST) and 2300.

The attacks focused on key energy and transport sites in Kiev, Vinnytsia, Poltava, Kirovohrad, Zaporizhia, Ivano-Frankivsk and Lviv, Ukrainian officials said, adding that Soviet-era power plants and gas storage facilities were among the targets.

“The enemy has not given up his plans to deprive Ukrainians of light,” said Energy Minister Herman Galushchenko.

Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said two people were injured in the attacks in Kiev, while a child was also injured in the Kirovhrad region.

Despite the damage, the Ukrainian air force said it intercepted dozens of missiles and fired 20 of the 21 Iranian-made Shahed drones into the country.

The attacks are the latest in an escalating Russian campaign against Ukraine’s energy grid that began in March. Waves of attacks have forced authorities in Ukraine to impose repeated power outages in several regions.

On April 11, a power plant in Kiev operated by Centrenergo, a major Ukrainian energy company, was destroyed. Chairman Andriy Hota described the extent of the destruction as “appalling”.

At the time of the attack in April, Putin said: “I would like to emphasize that we did not carry out any attacks in the winter, including for humanitarian reasons. What I mean by that is that we didn’t want to leave social institutions without power.” – hospitals and the like. But after a series of attacks on our energy facilities, we had to respond.

Experts say the true impact of Russian attacks may only be felt when annual energy consumption peaks in winter.

Ukraine has carried out a series of attacks on Russian oil depots, the most recent occurring on Wednesday morning at a Russian-controlled site in Luhansk.

Elsewhere, border officials in Poland said they arrested a Russian military deserter as he entered the country from Belarus.

Authorities said the 41-year-old would face further action in the coming days. National broadcaster RMF FM Radio reported that he was wearing civilian clothes and unarmed when he was arrested.

The source added that he had Russian military papers with him when he was arrested.