Massive attack by Russia on energy sector: Ukraine introduces emergency power cuts
On the night of Saturday, 7 February, Russian troops carried out a massive missile and drone attack on Ukrainian territory. Once again, the main target of the strike was the energy infrastructure. According to Ukrenergo, emergency power cuts have been implemented in most regions of the country due to damage, and the previously published hourly schedules are temporarily not in effect.
According to energy officials, restoration work will begin as soon as the security situation improves. The attack lasted several hours, with a significant portion of the missiles and drones targeting central and western regions.
First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Energy Denys Shmyhal reported that substations and 750 and 330 kV power lines, which form the backbone of the country's power grid, were hit. The enemy also attacked power generation facilities, in particular the Burshtyn and Dobrotvir thermal power plants. According to him, the power units of the nuclear power plant were unloaded by personnel in advance. Across Ukraine, 4.5 to 5 stages of emergency blackouts have been implemented, and special schedules are in effect in some eastern and northern regions. The Ukrenergo dispatcher activated a request for emergency assistance from Poland.
The Rivne region suffered the most damage. Head of the Regional State Administration Oleksandr Koval reported that a multi-storey residential building had been hit, damaging critical infrastructure and private homes. According to preliminary data, two people were injured. The region is experiencing power outages and possible water supply interruptions.
In Vinnytsia region, according to the head of the Regional Military Administration, Natalia Zabolotna, the region was under a massive air attack, with explosions heard in the regional centre. As a result of the strike, an educational institution was damaged, the wall of one of the buildings was destroyed, more than 150 windows in surrounding buildings were broken, and the heating system was damaged. There were no casualties or injuries.
Lviv region was hit by a rocket and drone strike, which damaged critical energy infrastructure. Head of the Regional Military Administration Maksym Kozytskyi reported that the air raid alert lasted more than six hours. In the village of Staryi Dobrotvir, a residential building caught fire after being hit by a drone. The fire was extinguished and there were no casualties.
In Ivano-Frankivsk region, according to the head of the Regional Military Administration, Svitlana Onyshchuk, the target of the attack was an energy facility. Damage to households in the Halych and Rohatyn communities was also reported. Rescuers extinguished a fire at a critical infrastructure facility, involving more than 50 people and more than 10 pieces of equipment.
In the Dnipropetrovsk region, Russian drones damaged a municipal enterprise in Dnipro, trolleybuses and other transport. The head of the Regional Military Administration, Oleksandr Hanzha, also reported strikes on communities in the Synelnykivsky district and the city of Synelnykove. A 68-year-old woman was injured, and private houses, a fire department and a gas pipeline were damaged.
In the Chernihiv region, according to the head of the Regional Military Administration, Vyacheslav Chaus, 32 shellings and 60 explosions were recorded during the day. A high-rise building, private homes, power lines and a communications facility were damaged, and in the Nizhyn district, a drone attacked transport infrastructure.
In addition, explosions were recorded in Burshtyn, Rivne, Kropyvnytskyi, and Vinnytsia. In Kharkiv, a drone hit the Kholodnohirskyi district. Emergency power outages continue in a number of regions, with rescue services and energy companies working in emergency mode.
