Russia launched a missile and drone assault on Ukraine, causing damage to local energy facilities and injuring workers in Zaporizhzhia. The conflict escalates as both sides target infrastructure, leading to civilian casualties and disruptions in daily life.
Russia launched a missile and drone assault on Ukraine overnight, targeting energy infrastructure sites in the southeastern Zaporizhzhia region and western Lviv region, officials in Kyiv reported on Saturday. The Ukrainian air force stated that of the 16 missiles and 13 Shahed drones fired, air defenses intercepted 12 missiles and all drones. This attack caused damage to local energy facilities and injured at least two workers in Zaporizhzhia.
Ukraine is facing new rolling blackouts after continuous Russian strikes over the past three months have reduced the nation’s power generation capacity by half. Russia’s latest attack follows Ukrainian strikes on three oil refineries in southern Russia the previous night.
Along the 1,000-kilometer front line, both sides remain focused on hitting infrastructure targets to hamper each other’s capabilities. Key regions such as Donetsk and Kherson have seen casualties from recent attacks, with five civilians killed in Donetsk, according to the regional governor, and one policeman killed in Kherson due to a Russian drone attack.
In a related development, Russian-installed officials in the town of Enerhodar, which serves the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station, reported Ukrainian drone attacks damaging two electricity substations, leading to widespread power cuts. The nuclear plant itself reportedly remains safe despite these disruptions.
Further Russian defense actions included downing five drones over the Sea of Azov and in western Russian regions. Meanwhile, shelling in Russia’s Belgorod region left one man dead, according to regional Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov.
In the city of Kharkiv, Russian shelling on Saturday killed two people and injured 18, affecting a densely populated residential area, as stated by local officials.
The conflict, now in its third year, continues to see both sides aim at debilitating each other’s infrastructure while causing civilian casualties and disrupting daily life.
For continuous updates on the conflict, visit https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine.
