‘The enemy is attacking en masse’: Russia targets Ukraine’s energy infrastructure; One death, multiple power outages reported – The Times of India

Russia launched a large-scale attack on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure on Saturday, resulting in one death and power outages in multiple regions.“The enemy is once again attacking Ukraine’s energy infrastructure on a massive scale. This has introduced emergency power outages in a number of regions of Ukraine,” Energy Minister Svitlana Grynchuk said, without specifying locations, AFP reported.

“Emergency power cuts will be canceled after the situation in the energy system is stabilized,” she said, adding: “Despite the enemy’s plans, Ukraine will have light and heat this winter.”Nationwide airstrike warnings occurred overnight, with officials in northeastern Kharkiv and southern Odesa confirming drone strikes on energy facilities.In Dnipro, a drone strike destroyed a nine-story building, killing one woman and injuring six people, including a child, emergency services said.In Kiev, officials confirmed that falling debris caused fires at two locations in the central Petchersky district.During its nearly four-year campaign, Russia has attacked Ukraine’s electricity and heating networks several times, causing widespread destruction of vital civilian infrastructure.Late Friday evening, drones struck energy facilities in southern Odessa, according to regional Governor Oleg Kiper’s Telegram post. “There was damage to an energy infrastructure facility,” he reported, with no casualties, as quoted by AFP.The continued attacks on energy facilities are raising major concerns about the availability of heat as Ukraine heads into its fourth winter of war.A report from the Kyiv School of Economics found that the attacks knocked out half of Ukraine’s natural gas production.Leading energy specialist Oleksandr Kharchenko warned during a media session on Wednesday that Kiev could face a “technological disaster” if the two power and heating plants were not operational for more than three days at temperatures below 10 degrees Celsius.Russian forces have intensified their attacks on Ukrainian energy facilities in recent months, causing significant damage to natural gas facilities that supply vital heating fuel for the country.Analysts indicate that Ukraine will face possible heating disruptions as winter approaches. Ukraine has responded by stepping up attacks on Russian oil facilities and refineries, aiming to disrupt Moscow’s energy exports and cause nationwide fuel shortages.