Kyiv, Ukraine
CNN
—
More than a million households were left without power in Ukraine after a widespread Russian aerial attack targeted critical energy infrastructure facilities, authorities in the country said Thursday.
Ukraine’s energy supplies have been repeatedly targeted since Russia launched its full-scale invasion began in February 2022, causing rolling blackouts. Bombardments have intensified in recent months, leaving Ukraine in a precarious position as the war grinds into its third winter.
Ukraine’s energy system came “under massive enemy attack,” overnight, Energy Minister German Halushchenko said Thursday, adding the attacks took place “all over Ukraine.”
Ukraine’s energy operator introduced emergency power cuts in many regions, with large outages in the western regions of Lviv, Volyn and Rivne.
At least one person was injured in the central Vinnytsia region, with another injury reported in the southern Odesa region, officials said. In the city of Kharkiv, a missile stuck a civilian business, according to local military authorities.
Air defenses were activated across the country, including in Kyiv, the capital’s mayor Vitaliy Klitschko said. Residents of Kyiv took shelter in metro stations as the air raid alert lasted for more than nine hours, due to the combined missile and drone attack. There were no immediate reports of casualties there, authorities said.
It comes after Russia launched a record 188 drones at Ukraine on Tuesday in a mass attack that damaged critical infrastructure in the west of the country, according to the Ukrainian Air Force.
This is a developing story and will be updated.