KIEV: Russia’s overnight missile strikes on Ukraine’s critical energy infrastructure were a direct response to Ukrainian attacks on Russian soil using US-made ATACMS missiles, President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday. The assault, which targeted key energy facilities across Ukraine, resulted in widespread power outages, leaving over a million homes without electricity.
Speaking at a security summit in Kazakhstan, Putin emphasized that Russia had hit 17 key targets, including military facilities and defense industry sites, but did not acknowledge the damage to Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. “There will always be a response from our side when American ATACMS are used,” Putin stated, reinforcing his stance on retaliatory strikes.
According to Ukraine’s energy ministry This attack marks Russia’s 11th large-scale assault on Ukraine’s energy grid this year.These continued bombings have contributed to severe and ongoing power shortages, with rolling blackouts becoming commonplace across the country.
Ukraine’s Energy Minister, German Halushchenko, described the overnight assault as a “massive enemy attack” affecting regions all across Ukraine.
Air defenses were activated nationwide, and the Interior Ministry reported damage across 14 regions. In Kyiv, residents sought shelter in metro stations as the air raid sirens persisted for over nine hours amid missile and drone assaults.
