Photo: president.gov.ua
Russia has carried out one of its largest attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, striking more than 15 major electricity generation and transmission facilities across multiple regions, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
The hardest-hit areas included Lutsk, Rivne, Zhytomyr, Vinnytsia, Shepetivka, Slavuta and Netishyn, according to Zelenskyy. Energy facilities in the Kharkiv, Kyiv and Dnipropetrovsk regions were also targeted.
From the evening of October 16 through the morning of October 17, Russian forces launched more than 320 jet-powered and conventional Shahed drones, loitering munitions, and cruise and ballistic missiles.
“Although our defenders manage to shoot down a significant number of them, the scale and continuity of Russian attacks — specifically targeting the energy sector — unfortunately have many negative consequences,” Zelenskyy said.
The Ukrainian president also announced that European partners had prepared new support packages for Ukraine.
Earlier, Ukraine’s Energy Ministry reported that Russian forces had attacked energy facilities in 10 regions overnight and on the morning of October 17, leaving some consumers without electricity.
Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his military to continue large-scale strikes against Ukraine after receiving a briefing from Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov on the start of attacks targeting Ukrainian energy infrastructure.
