Russia launches missile barrage at Ukraine
Energy facilities in western regions hit; residents in Kyiv take shelter as capital attacked
Russia launched a new barrage of missiles and drones at Ukraine yesterday, targeting gas infrastructure and other energy facilities in western regions in the latest strike on the country's hobbled power system as it approaches mid-winter.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said that the Russian forces launched over 40 missiles during the morning attack and used more than 70 drones overnight. Ukrainian air defences shot down at least 30 missiles, he said.
"Another massive Russian attack. It's the middle of winter, and the target for the Russians remains unchanged: our energy infrastructure," Zelensky said in a social media post on X platform.
"Among their objectives were gas and energy facilities that sustain normal life for our people."
The capital Kyiv also came under attack, with hundreds of residents taking shelter in underground metro stations across the capital, sleeping on yoga mats and sitting on folded chairs with their pets.
The governor of Ukraine's western Lviv region said two energy facilities, in the Drohobych and Stryi districts, were damaged. In neighbouring Ivano-Frankivsk, the governor said air defences were fending off Russian attacks on facilities. Both said no injuries had been reported.
Ukrainians use natural gas mainly for heating homes and cooking. The country uses gas stored over the summer months to use in winter, when daily production does not cover consumption.