Ukraine’s power system took another blow after a Russian massive missile strike on energy infrastructure on 15 November. Emergency power outages are taking place all around the country after missile hits were reported in nine Ukrainian Oblasts and the capital Kyiv on the order of Ukraine’s state energy company Ukrenergo.
Ukraine’s Air Command reported that it shot down 73 of over 90 cruise missiles launched by Russia, as well as 10 Iranian-made Shahed drones, during Russia’s most-powerful yet attack Ukrainian energy infrastructure.
This makes the strike the most massive one on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure yet. During the second-largest one, on 10 October, 84 missiles were launched, Ukraine’s Air Force spokesman said.
The situation is critical, according to Zelenskyy staffer Kyrylo Tymoshenko. He says that most of the strikes hit the center and northern parts of Ukraine. The capital Kyiv is especially affected, and emergency power outages are causing blackouts in the city.
According to Tymoshenko, Ukrainian air defense shot down 70 of over 90 launched missiles. However, 15 infrastructure objects were hit.
Two apartment buildings in the capital were hit in the capital in the strikes, Kyiv mayor Vitaliy Klitschko reported. At least one person was killed.
Kyrylo Tymoshenko of the President's Office has shared a video of the aftermath of the Russian missile strike on Kyiv: pic.twitter.com/VFzc9OxqY3
— Euromaidan Press (@EuromaidanPress) November 15, 2022
Across the country, regional leaders reported hits to critical infrastructure objects and power outages.
Khmelnytsky, Rivne, Volyn, Lviv, Zhytomyr, Vinnytsia, Dnipropetrovsk, Poltava, and Kharkiv Oblasts were hit, according to the heads of the regional administrations.
Approximately half of Kyivans do not have power now. As well, a part of Khmelnytskyi is without power, as well as Rivne. 80% of the west-Ukrainian city of Lviv is without power as electricity-powered transport is shut down.
A critical infrastructure object was hit in Vinnytsia Oblast, the regional head reported.
Critical infrastructure in Kharkiv was hit, mayor Terekhov wrote on Telegram. Electric transport and the metro have been stopped. It has also stopped in Lviv.
Mobile operators are limiting some services to save power and resources for phone calls.
Ukraine’s air force spokesman Yuriy Ihnat had warned several days ago that Russia may launch a massive missile strike during the G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia. He said that Russian defense enterprises are “working in three shifts” so the country could stockpile missiles to launch a new missile strike, as it realized that sporadic missile and drone strikes do not bring the desired destruction to Ukraine’s infrastructure.
Ihnat said that Russia had spent several months accumulating missiles before launching four massive strikes on Ukraine in October that caused the first severe damage to Ukraine’s infrastructure:
- Missile strike of 10 October
- Missile strike of 18 October
- Missile strike of 22 October (left 1.5 mn people without power)
- Missile strike of 31 October
The strike takes place amid the g20 summit in Bali, where President Zelenskyy had presented Ukraine’s formula for peace.
