Russia targets Ukrainian infrastructure with massive cruise missile and drone attack

kyiv, Ukraine (AP) — Russia launched a massive airstrike on Ukraine on Friday, firing 93 missiles and nearly 200 drones, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, describing it as one of the most intense bombardments of the country’s energy sector since The full-scale Russian invasion almost three years ago.

Ukrainian defenses shot down 81 missiles, including 11 cruise missiles that were intercepted by F-16 fighter jets. provided by western allies earlier this year, Zelenskyy said.

Russia is “terrorizing millions of people” with such attacks, he claimed on his Telegram channel, renewing his call for international unity against Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“A strong reaction is needed from the world: a massive strike, a massive reaction. This is the only way to stop terrorism,” Zelenskyy said.

But uncertainty surrounds how the war could play out next year. President-elect Donald Trump, who will take office next month, has promised to end the war and has cast doubt on whether vital US military support for Kyiv will continue.

In Moscow, the Defense Ministry said the Russian military used long-range precision missiles and drones at “critically important fuel and power facilities in Ukraine that ensure the functioning of the military industrial complex.”

The attack was retaliation for Wednesday’s Ukrainian attack using The Army Tactical Missile System (ATACM) supplied by the United States at a Russian air base, it said.

The US embassy in kyiv said Friday’s attack also targeted transportation networks and other key facilities.

Ukraine’s largest private energy company, DTEK, said the attack “severely damaged” its thermal power plants.

Russia has repeatedly tried paralyze Ukraine’s electrical system in an effort to break the will of civilians left in the dark without running water or heat and disrupt Ukrainian defense manufacturing.

Ukrainian Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko said energy workers were doing everything necessary to “minimize negative consequences for the energy system,” and promised to release more details about the damage once the security situation clears. allowed.

Ukraine’s air force reported that multiple attack drones were launched into Ukraine overnight, followed by swarms of cruise missiles into the country’s airspace. He said Russia also used air-launched Kinzhal ballistic missiles against Ukraine’s western regions.

A similar massive attack on Nov. 28 involved around 200 missiles and drones and left more than a million homes without power until emergency crews restored power.

Ukrainian officials have warned that Russia is stockpiling ballistic and cruise missiles for more attacks.

On November 21, Russia for the first time used an intermediate range hypersonic ballistic missile to strike at an industrial plant in the eastern Ukrainian city of Dnipro. Putin described the Oreshnik missile attack as retaliation for Ukrainian attacks on Russian territory with longer-range Western weapons.

He stated that more attacks could follow with the new weapon, and US officials warned on Wednesday that the Oreshnik could be used again in the next few days. There were no immediate signs that one had been launched in Friday’s attack.

About half of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure has been destroyed during the war, and rolling electricity blackouts are common and widespread.

kyiv’s Western allies have provided Ukraine with air defense systems to help it protect critical infrastructure, but Russia has sought to overwhelm air defenses with combined attacks involving large numbers of missiles and drones called “swarms.”

Russia has maintained the initiative this year as its military has steadily breached Ukrainian defenses in the east in a series of slow but steady offensives.

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