Ukraine says it shot down 84 of 99 Russian missiles and drones launched overnight

Ukraine imposed emergency power cuts in several regions on Friday after new massive Russian strikes “severely” damaged three thermal power plants, with Kyiv calling on the West for help.

• Read more: Ukraine: 3 dead, 2 spies arrested in Russian attack

• Read more: Ukraine says it shot down 26 Russian attack drones overnight

Dnipropetrovsk Region (Central-South) Governor Sergey Lizak announced that a single drone strike resulted in the death of a civilian and the wounding of one person in the city of Myrivska.

On the Russian side, a Ukrainian drone crashed into an apartment building in the nearby Ukrainian city of Belgorod, killing one civilian and injuring two others, regional governor Vyacheslav Klatkov said.

The Ukrainian Air Force, for its part, has claimed to have destroyed most of the 99 Russian missiles and drones — a particularly large number — launched during this new nighttime bombardment.

Moscow has stepped up its airstrikes against Ukraine in recent weeks, particularly targeting the energy grid, saying it was acting in retaliation for Kyiv's attacks on its border areas.

In its daily report, the Russian military confirmed it had targeted energy infrastructure during the night, but Ukrainian “anti-aircraft defense” missiles, particularly hypersonic and drones.

In total, ten regions across Ukraine were targeted and six people, including a child, were injured in these strikes, according to the Ukrainian Interior Ministry.

Three power plants have been affected

Three Ukrainian thermal power plants suffered significant damage after the Russian fire, Ukrainian energy supplier DTEK said, without providing the locations of the installations.

“The invaders attacked three DTEK thermal power stations. The equipment was severely damaged,” the company lamented in a press release, noting that its engineers acted “quickly” to deal with the damage.

National operator Ukrenergo said it was “forced to carry out emergency (power) cuts until the evening” in three regions due to the “lack of production capacity” of electricity following the Russian “massive attack”. “Containments” were already in place in the two regions after previous bombings.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Chymikal condemned the “barbaric attacks against the Ukrainian energy system”.

Energy Minister German Kalushchenko announced earlier that a “massive attack” specifically targeted energy production sites in the regions of Dnipropetrovsk, Poltava (center) and Cherkasy (center).

The governor of Dnipropetrovsk, for his part, announced that “several energy installations” had been damaged there.

Kiev has called on its Western allies to send more aid and faster. But in Brussels, as in Washington, political divisions have stalled arms deliveries and financial transfers in recent months.

Ukrainian officials are particularly emphatic about providing additional Patriot batteries. This powerful and expensive air defense system was first delivered to Ukraine in the spring of 2023.

President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke on Friday of the need to “quickly replenish the stocks” of Ukrainian anti-aircraft defenses and said he was “counting on a quick reaction” from his country's Western allies.

Gliding bombs

Oleksandr Chirsky, the chief of staff of the Ukrainian army, noted in an interview broadcast on Friday that the Russian army's advantage in terms of ammunition fired by both sides was “six to one”, in a matter of days. Before.

According to him, with better anti-aircraft defenses and more ammunition, Ukraine could “undoubtedly” hold some of the positions it lost recently.

Oleksandr Syrsky further confirmed that Russia had “significantly increased its air traffic”, particularly using guided aerial bombs that “destroy our positions”.

Out of 99 devices of this type launched by the Russians, the Ukrainian Air Force said on Friday that it destroyed “84 aerial targets” or 26 missiles and 58 Iranian-made Shahed drones.

The Russian military sends missiles or drones to its neighbors every night, but their numbers are usually small.

The Polish military announced increased surveillance of Poland's airspace days after a Russian missile was fired at cities in western Ukraine.