By Nurat Uthman
Russian missile and drone strikes battered Ukraine’s power grid on Monday, killing at least four people and forcing authorities to introduce emergency blackouts.
Officials said 15 regions across the country were targeted in the aerial assault which began during the night and was the biggest in weeks.
The attacks come as Ukraine presses a major cross-border offensive into Russia’s Kursk region, where Kyiv has been battling for nearly three weeks and claimed on Sunday to be advancing.
“Russian terrorists have once again targeted energy infrastructure. Unfortunately, there is damage in a number of regions,” Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmygal said.
State-owned electricity system operator Ukrenergo was forced to introduce emergency power cuts to stabilise the system following the barrage, while train schedules were disrupted.
Explosions from what appeared to be air defences could be heard in the capital Kyiv early on Monday, while residents rushed to take shelter in metro stations, AFP journalists reported.
“We are always worried. We have been under stress for almost three years now,” said 34-year-old lawyer Yulia Voloshyna, who was taking shelter in the Kyiv metro.
“It was very scary, to be honest. You don’t know what to expect,” she said.
The Russian defence ministry said it had struck energy infrastructure used to support Ukraine’s defence industry.
Since invading in February 2022, Russia has launched repeated large-scale drone and missile attacks on Ukraine, including punishing attacks on energy facilities.
