Russia launched at least 76 missiles at Ukrainian energy facilities and other infrastructure in its latest wave of deadly attacks that have caused widespread power outages across the country.
The bombardment on Friday hit at least four cities, killing at least two people in the central city of Kryvyi Rih. Meanwhile, one person died in southern Kherson region, where an apartment block caught fire from shelling that proceeded the missile strikes, according to regional authorities.
OleksiybKuleba, the governor of the Kyiv region, said Russia was “massively attacking” Ukraine in the latest coordinated wave of raids which have shelled Ukrainian infrastructure since October.
“The attack is continuing. Stay in shelters and safe places,” Kuleba urged after the attacks began early on Friday.
Later in the day, Ukraine’s top general said the country’s air defence had taken out 60 of the incoming missiles fired at critical infrastructure.
Ukraine’s railway operator said a number of train lines had been left without power across the country, while Kyrylo Tymoshenko, the deputy head of the Ukrainian president’s office, said emergency power shutdowns had been introduced across the country to enable repairs after damage to energy facilities in several regions.
At least three explosions were heard in Kyiv, where parts of the capital experienced power outages and water stoppages as residents flocked to subway tunnels deep underground to seek shelter.
A spokesperson for Kyiv’s military administration said Ukrainian air defences shot down 37 of 40 incoming Russian missiles in the area of the city. Regional authorities, in a statement posted on social media, called the bombardment of the city “one of the biggest missile attacks since the beginning of the full-scale invasion”.
Ukrainian air defences also shot down 10 missiles over the Dnipro region, Governor Valentyn Reznichenko said in a statement on Telegram.
The southern city of Kherson, as well as the central cities of Poltava and Kremenchuk also experienced outages in the wake of the attack. Mayor Ihor Terekhov described “colossal” damage to infrastructure in the city of northeastern Kharkiv.
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“I ask you to be patient with what is happening now. I know that in your houses there is no light, no heating, no water supply,” he wrote in a post on Telegram.
All told, about half of Ukraine’s energy grid has been damaged during weeks of sustained attacks, according to the national provider, Ukrenegro. -AL JAZEERA AND NEWS AGENCIES
