In the early hours of Sunday, Russia unleashed a devastating, widespread missile and drone assault across Ukrainian towns and cities. Authorities have confirmed that these deadly attacks primarily targeted the country’s critical energy infrastructure, aiming to severely disrupt its functionality.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reported that the overnight assault involved at least 500 Russian attack drones and 50 missiles. The aerial threat persisted, with drones continuing to fill Ukrainian airspace well into Sunday afternoon.
Tragically, President Zelensky announced that at least five individuals lost their lives, and many more sustained injuries. Officials caution that these grim figures are expected to increase as rescue efforts continue.
“Today, the Russians have, yet again, deliberately attacked our infrastructure – the very systems that sustain our people’s normal lives,” President Zelensky stated emphatically. He stressed the urgent need for enhanced protection and quicker deployment of defense agreements, particularly for air defense, to render this aerial campaign of terror utterly ineffective.
A significant portion of the nocturnal bombardment concentrated on Lviv, located in western Ukraine. Local officials confirmed that four people tragically died when a strike directly hit a residential home in a village on the city’s outskirts.
Thick smoke billowed over Lviv’s historic center, plunging many areas into darkness as power outages became widespread. Emergency teams worked tirelessly to restore services. This grim scenario unfolded repeatedly across Ukraine, with similar strikes reported in regions like Zaporizhzhia, Chernihiv, Sumy, Kharkiv, Kherson, Odesa, and Kirovohrad.
According to the Ministry of Energy, many of these recent attacks have specifically targeted Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, resulting in widespread power cuts. This tactic mirrors a recurring pattern observed every winter since Russia initiated its full-scale invasion in February 2022.
In the southern Zaporizhzhia region, Sunday’s strikes led to at least one fatality and left an estimated 73,000 residents without electricity, as reported by local authorities.
The energy ministry confirmed that “Emergency repair and restoration work is currently underway to bring back electricity as swiftly as possible.”
Anastasia Kuznietsova contributed to this report.