KYIV: Russian strikes on Sunday killed five people in Ukraine and severely damaged the country’s energy infrastructure, cutting power to tens of thousands of households and prompting neighboring Poland to place its ground defense forces on high alert.
Ukraine’s air force said Russian forces unleashed a massive barrage of 496 drones and 53 missiles, most of which were intercepted. Still, the scale of the attack raised concerns that Moscow is resuming its winter campaign of targeting critical power facilities, a tactic that has previously plunged millions of Ukrainians into darkness.
President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the strikes, accusing Russia of deliberately targeting civilians. “Russians are not even trying to conceal their true intentions. The overwhelming majority of targets were civilian objects and ordinary infrastructure,” he said in his nightly address.
Lviv hit by deadliest attack of the war
The western city of Lviv, far from the front lines, suffered the largest attack of the conflict so far, according to its governor Maksym Kozytsky. Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga said an entire family of four, including a teenage girl, was killed when their home was struck near Lviv. Emergency services released images showing firefighters extinguishing flames in destroyed buildings and rescuing elderly residents.
In southern Zaporizhzhia, one person was killed and dozens wounded as strikes also tore through areas near the eastern front, local authorities reported.
Energy systems targeted
Zelensky accused Moscow of attempting to destroy Ukraine’s energy supply ahead of the winter months. “Russia is openly trying to destroy our civilian infrastructure right now — our gas infrastructure, our power generation and transmission,” he said, calling for stronger international sanctions.
Ukraine’s emergency services reported power outages for more than 110,000 customers across several regions, with Zaporizhzhia being the hardest hit. Regional governor Ivan Fedorov said over 73,000 people were left without electricity, though power was restored later in the evening.
Ukraine’s state-run gas company Naftogaz also confirmed damage to its networks. “These maniacal terrorist strikes are aimed solely at one thing — depriving Ukrainians of gas, heat, and light,” said Naftogaz CEO Sergii Koretskyi.
Russia’s justification
The Russian defence ministry said its strikes were aimed at “enterprises of the military-industrial complex of Ukraine and gas and energy infrastructure facilities that ensured their operation.”
Despite Moscow’s claims, Ukrainian officials maintain the primary victims were civilians and ordinary infrastructure, fueling fresh outrage as the war drags into another winter.
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