Russia launches a “massive” attack on the Ukrainian power grid overnight

Ukraine says its energy facilities were subjected to a “massive” attack by Russia overnight, the latest assault on the country’s power grid.

This is the eighth time in the last three months that Russia has launched an attack on energy infrastructure facilities, the Ukrainian Energy Ministry said.

According to the Ukrainian Air Force, air defense systems shot down 12 of 16 missiles and all 13 drones that Russia fired at several regions during the night.

Two energy workers were injured and hospitalized in the Zaporizhia region, and energy equipment was damaged in the western city of Lviv, officials added.

Authorities also reported damage to houses and a kindergarten in the southwestern Ivano-Frankivsk region.

Russia resumed its campaign of attacks against Ukrainian energy projects in the spring and early summer, leading to frequent power outages across the country. President Volodymyr Zelensky recently said Moscow had destroyed half of his country’s electricity generation capacity since it began attacking its energy facilities in late March.

The attack on Saturday evening is the second on energy infrastructure this week.

On Thursday, Ukrainian authorities said a major nighttime attack injured seven employees and damaged energy infrastructure, including a power plant.

Ukraine buys energy from the European Union, but this is not enough to cover the deficit.

This means that there is a planned nationwide power outage on most days to protect critical infrastructure such as hospitals and military facilities.

“We urgently need to close our airspace, otherwise Ukraine faces a serious crisis this winter,” said Maxim Timchenko, CEO of DTEK, one of Ukraine’s largest private energy companies.

“My appeal to allies is: help us defend our energy system and rebuild it in time.”

Mr Zelensky has repeatedly called on Ukraine’s allies to send more air defense systems. Specifically, he has asked the United States for seven sophisticated air defense systems called Patriots.

Zaporizhia Governor Ivan Fedorov echoed Mr Zelensky’s message in a message posted on Telegram on Saturday morning.

“We can say with certainty: the enemy will not stop. Ukraine needs air defense systems,” he said.

John Kirby, spokesman for the US National Security Council, said on Thursday that Washington would put Ukraine at the top of the waiting list for Patriot deliveries, ahead of other countries that have ordered them.