Russia unleashed its largest wave of airstrikes on Ukraine in almost three months on Sunday, firing 120 missiles and 90 drones in a sweeping attack that killed at least seven people and caused “severe damage” to the power system, officials said.
Ukrainians have been bracing for weeks for an attack on the hobbled energy system, fearing crippling damage that would cause long blackouts as winter sets in and ramp up psychological pressure at a critical moment in the war launched by Russia in February 2022.
The strikes, which prompted emergency power cuts in numerous regions, came after this month’s U.S. presidential election victory of Donald Trump, whose pledge to end the war without saying how has raised the prospect of a looming push to hold negotiations.
