‘Massive strike’ on Ukraine’s energy sector, says minister

Russia has launched a “massive strike” on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, the country’s energy minister said, as explosions were reported in several cities.

Herman Halushchenko said on Facebook that attacks on energy facilities were “taking place all over Ukraine” and emergency power outages had been introduced, urging people to take shelter.

Early on Thursday, the Ukrainian air force issued a nationwide air raid warning “due to the threat of missile danger”.

There are reports of damage to civilian infrastructure across Ukraine, although the full picture is not yet clear.

The mayor of Kharkiv, Igor Terekhov, said there was shelling of a civilian area in the city, while the mayor of Lutsk, Ihor Polishchuk, said multiple explosions had been heard andelectricity was out in part of the city.

Mr Polishchuk said trolleybuses in Lutsk have stopped while the head of the Rivne administration Oleksandr Koval has said electricity supplies have been cut to over 280,000 people in the western region.

Ukarine’s air force has issued further warnings of missiles, rockets and drones heading towards numerous regions around the country, including Kyiv, Rivne, Vinnytsia, Kropyvnytskyi, Balta, and Mykolaiv.

Local media outlet Zerkalo Tyzhnya reported that explosions had been heard in the key port city of Odesa, while regional governor Oleg Kiper urged residents to stay somewhere safe.

Authorities in the regions of Sumy and Volyn also reported strikes.

Earlier this month, Ukraine’s largest private energy company, DTEK, said its thermal energy plants suffered “significant damage”, resulting in blackouts.

That attack was the eighth large-scale one targeting Ukraine’s energy facilities this year, DTEK said in a statement.

It added that its plants had been attacked more than 190 times since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Ukrainian officials fear the most recent strike could signal another concerted Russian attempt to deplete the power grid as winter arrives.

Having already endured two-and-a-half bitter winters since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, Ukrainians are bracing themselves for another.