Russia unleashed a massive overnight barrage of drones and missiles on several Ukrainian regions, striking mainly at energy infrastructure, Ukraine’s energy ministry said Friday.
The assault involved 381 drones and 35 missiles, hitting sites in the eastern Kharkiv region and central Ukraine’s Poltava region, home to the country’s key gas production facilities.
Authorities gave no immediate details on casualties or damage, but DTEK, Ukraine’s largest private energy provider, said it was forced to suspend operations at multiple gas facilities in Poltava.
Ukraine has increased gas imports, fearing disruption of domestic supplies, and aims to stockpile 13.2 billion cubic meters of gas in storage facilities by mid-October, including about 4.6 billion cubic meters of imported gas.
Russia has stepped up strikes on Ukraine’s energy sector as the fourth winter of war approaches, already triggering prolonged blackouts in several regions.
A drone attack Wednesday on the northern Kyiv and Chernihiv regions also cut power for three hours to the Chornobyl nuclear power plant, including the containment structure built in 2016 to prevent radiation leaks.
The plant’s fourth reactor exploded in 1986, causing the world’s worst civil nuclear disaster.
