Russia has amped up its attacks on the Ukrainian power grid, striking critical energy infrastructure in its latest strikes Saturday and injuring nearly 20 people.
“On the night of June 1, 2024, the Russian occupiers launched a powerful air-missile attack on critical infrastructure facilities in various regions of Ukraine, using air-, sea-, and land-based missiles, as well as “Shahed” type UAVs,” the Ukrainian Air Force said Saturday in a post on Telegram, according to translation.
Local officials said 19 people were injured in the attack, The Associated Press reported. Private energy operator DTEK said two power plants of its own were “seriously” damaged via an attack by Russia Saturday.
Herman Halushchenko, Ukraine’s minister of energy, said power infrastructure in the Zaporizhzhia, Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, Kirovohrad and Ivano-Frankivsk regions were also targeted, per AP.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky railed against the attacks Saturday in a statement on social media platform X.
“Civilian people, infrastructure, and energy facilities. This is what Russia is constantly at war with,” Zelensky wrote on X. “This night, another barrage of over 50 missiles of various types and around 50 ‘Shahed’ drones targeted the south, center, and west of Ukraine.”
“I am grateful to our warriors for shooting down the majority of them, but there were also hits,” Zelensky continued. “All services are working on the ground to provide recovery and relief. Everyone affected will receive all of the necessary assistance.”
He also decried what he described as “Russian terrorists” only understanding “the language of force.”
“And the only way to stop this terror and keep it from becoming the norm is to promptly make effective decisions,” he continued in the post. “Full protection for the Ukrainian sky must become the norm. So that the madmen in the Kremlin understand that their terror is futile.”
The Ukrainian leader also used the moment to push allies for additional weapons, including Patriot missiles, F-16s and other modern air defense systems.
Damage to Ukraine’s power grid has forced leaders of the war-ravaged country to institute nationwide rolling blackouts, according to the AP.
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