Kyiv, Oct 1:
Russia launched one of its heaviest combined attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure in months on Wednesday, killing seven people, including a child, and causing widespread power disruptions, Ukrainian officials said.
The overnight assault involved nearly 190 drones and ballistic missiles, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Ukraine’s Air Force said it had intercepted five missiles and 155 drones.
Energy facilities in Kyiv and surrounding regions were among the main targets. Ukraine’s national grid operator Ukrenergo imposed emergency power cuts in Kyiv and three neighbouring regions, the first such disruption in the capital since spring.
Several tram and trolleybus services were disrupted by the outages, while parts of Kyiv were covered in smoke following strikes on power facilities.
Ukrainian officials said critical infrastructure in five regions was hit, while damage was reported in five others. Prime Minister Sergii Koretskyi ordered authorities to check backup power systems at critical facilities as the country prepares for colder weather.
Kyiv has been particularly concerned about a repeat of last winter, when Russian attacks damaged electricity and heating infrastructure. Moscow has denied deliberately targeting civilians.