Early Sunday morning, towns and cities throughout Ukraine experienced a massive and deadly wave of missile and drone attacks by Russia. Authorities reported that these extensive bombardments were largely aimed at disabling Ukraine’s critical energy infrastructure.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that approximately 500 Russian drones and 50 missiles were deployed overnight. The drone activity persisted into Sunday afternoon, indicating a sustained assault.
Tragically, President Zelensky announced that at least five individuals lost their lives, with many more sustaining injuries. Officials cautioned that these casualty figures were expected to increase.
In a public statement, President Zelensky condemned the attacks, stating, ‘Today, the Russians once again targeted our infrastructure — everything that ensures normal life for our people.’ He emphasized the urgent need for enhanced protection and quicker execution of defense agreements, particularly concerning air defense, to neutralize this aerial campaign of terror.
Image: A poignant scene depicts the aftermath of a Russian strike in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, on Sunday. A woman with a bloodied bandage on her head appears emotional as she holds her bandaged left hand to her face and a broom in her right as she looks at a damaged room.
A significant portion of the night’s attacks concentrated on Lviv in western Ukraine. Local authorities confirmed that a strike on a house in a village near the city resulted in four fatalities.
Image: Officials reported four deaths after a Russian strike hit a home in Lapaivka, a Ukrainian village located on the outskirts of Lviv, on Sunday. The image shows a man climbing a ladder to a destroyed upper floor of a gray house, with other men looking out from the damaged floor.
Thick smoke billowed above Lviv’s historic center, leaving many residents without electricity as emergency teams worked tirelessly to address the damage. This grim scenario unfolded across numerous other Ukrainian regions, with attacks also reported in Zaporizhzhia, Chernihiv, Sumy, Kharkiv, Kherson, Odesa, and Kirovohrad.
The Ministry of Energy confirmed that many recent assaults have deliberately targeted Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, causing widespread power outages. This strategy echoes the pattern of attacks seen every winter since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in February 2022.
Image: Footage from Lviv on Sunday shows smoke plumes ascending from the aftermath of a Russian strike. Thick black smoke billows in the distance behind a number of parked trucks.
In the southern Zaporizhzhia region, local authorities reported one death and left 73,000 residents without power following Sunday’s strikes.
The energy ministry stated that ‘Emergency repair and restoration work is ongoing to restore electricity as quickly as possible.’