Russia Launches Large-Scale Airstrikes on Energy Facilities Across Ukraine... 7 Dead

15 Regional Drone and Missile Launches... Power Outage Occurs

On the 26th (local time), Russian forces conducted airstrikes targeting power and infrastructure facilities across Ukraine.

According to the Associated Press, over 100 Russian missiles and drones bombarded Ukraine from midnight until dawn, with this airstrike being assessed as the largest scale in recent weeks.

On the 26th (local time), the Odesa region was destroyed by a Russian airstrike. On the same day, the Ukrainian government announced that Russia attacked 15 regions across Ukraine with drones and missiles.
[Image source=AFP Yonhap News]

Local media such as the Kyiv Independent and the state-run Ukrinform reported that seven people died in the airstrikes that day.

President Volodymyr Zelensky stated, "Like most previous Russian airstrikes, this one targeted critical civilian infrastructure," noting that most of the country was targeted, from Kharkiv and Kyiv to Odesa and the western regions.

Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said that Russia launched drones, cruise missiles, and hypersonic ballistic missiles at 15 regions covering more than half of Ukraine's territory. Shmyhal added, "Energy infrastructure was targeted by Russia," and emergency blackouts had to be implemented due to the airstrikes.

As a result of the airstrikes, power companies including the state-owned Ukrenergo and the private DTEK suspended electricity supply.

According to Ukraine's State Emergency Service, seven people were killed and 47 injured in areas including northwestern Lutsk and Zhytomyr, as well as eastern frontlines in Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhzhia.

The Russian Ministry of Defense announced that it attacked Ukrainian substations, gas compression facilities, and aviation weapon storage sites that day.

President Zelensky said, "More than 120 various missiles and over 100 Shahed drones were launched from Kursk, Belgorod, the Black Sea, and the Crimean Peninsula." He also urged the West to allow the use of long-range weapons targeting Russian territory. Prime Minister Shmyhal also requested the West to provide long-range weapons and permit their use against targets inside Russia.

The Ukrainian Air Force claimed to have shot down 102 out of 127 Russian missiles and 99 out of 109 drones. The Russian Ministry of Defense reported intercepting 22 Ukrainian drones from night until dawn in eight regions including Saratov in eastern Ukraine and Yaroslavl northeast of Moscow. It also stated that it defended against Ukrainian attempts to attack six settlements in the Kursk region.

Poland, which borders Ukraine, announced that its air defense system and that of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) were activated in the eastern region due to the airstrikes that day.