Russia launches 188 missiles and drones in a major attack on Ukraine’s energy grid. The Netherlands supplies three Patriot launchers to Ukraine. Putin threatens to use the Oreshnik missile to hit “decision-making centers in Kyiv”.
Russia launches 188 missiles and drones in major attack on Ukraine’s energy grid
Russia launched one of the largest combined drone and missile strikes at Ukraine overnight on Thursday, targeting the country’s energy system. Ukraine’s Air Force said Russia used 91 missiles and 97 drones in the attack. It said 12 of those had hit their targets, most of which were energy and fuel facilities.
The missiles included sea-launched Kalibr missiles, Kh-101 cruise missiles launched from Tu-95MS strategic bombers, S-300 surface-to-air missiles, and Kh-59/69 air-launched missiles. Russia sent into Ukraine Shahed attack drones and other unidentified types of drones used as decoys to tie up Ukrainian air defenses.
Power and water interruptions were reported in multiple regions, affecting hundreds of thousands. Emergency power cuts were implemented across the country, and more customers had their existing schedule of rolling power cuts intensified in the aftermath of the strikes. In-person classes at schools were replaced with online activities in the affected regions.
Ukraine’s Air Force said it had shot down 76 Kalibr and Kh-101 cruise missiles, three Kh-59/69 air-launched missiles, and 35 drones, while 62 more drones disappeared off radar after likely being disabled by electronic warfare systems.
The air force added that the number of missiles and drones that Russia launches toward some directions far exceeds the air defense capabilities there.
It also said Russia was using thermal and radar decoys to trick Ukrainian air defences, and putting electronic warfare devices on its missiles. “All this significantly complicates the operation of Soviet-made anti-aircraft missile systems,” the Air Force said, adding that “Western systems work much more effectively in such conditions, but Ukraine does not have enough to reliably cover hundreds of critical infrastructure facilities.”
The Russians are taking advantage of weather conditions, the Air Force noted. Dense fog and cloudiness made it harder for mobile groups and aircraft to intercept incoming missiles and drones, it wrote in a statement.
In Lviv region, missiles hit two critical infrastructure facilities, cutting off electricity to about 515,000 people as of 11:00 a.m. Regional authorities warned of deep power cuts in the coming weeks.
In Rivne region, more than 280,000 customers lost power and others experienced water outages.
In Volyn region and its capital Lutsk, missiles hit critical infrastructure sites. Some neighborhoods in Lutsk cut off power, while electric public transportation routes were suspended.
Parts of Zhytomyr lost power and water supply.
Power cuts affected the Shepetivka and Khmelnytskyi districts of Khmelnytskyi region. Critical infrastructure facilities were hit in Ivano-Frankivsk region, prompting emergency outages.
A Russian missile attack on Sumy region hit critical infrastructure facilities in the Shostka community. In Mykolayiv, electric public transportation routes were suspended and education facilities closed as a result of power cuts.
In Vinnytsya region, private homes were damaged in the attack. A 90-year-old woman and a 16-year old boy were injured in Odesa region. The strike damaged 18 apartment buildings and several cars in the suburbs of Odesa, and a garage inside the city.
All missiles and drones aimed at Kyiv were brought down, officials said. Missile debris fell in the Dniprovskyi and Darnytskyi regions of the capital.
A critical infrastructure site was damaged in Kyiv region. A fire that erupted there was extinguished.
The Netherlands supplies three Patriot launchers to Ukraine
Dutch defense minister Ruben Brekelmans said on Thursday that the Netherlands had delivered three launchers for Patriot air defense systems to Ukraine. The boost comes ahead of a possibly tough winter facing the country as Russia continues to pummel its energy grid.
“Ukrainians face a harsh winter as devastating air raids continue,” Brekelmans said on X. The post was translated from Dutch via Google. “This saves lives and protects vital infrastructure. It remains in our common interest to stop Russian aggression,” he added.
Putin threatens to use Oreshnik missile to hit “decision-making centers in Kyiv”
Russia may use its new Oreshnik missile to attack “decision-making centers” in Kyiv, Russian leader Vladimir Putin said Thusday.
“The Ministry of Defense and the General Staff of the Russian Army are currently identifying targets for strikes within Ukraine,” Putin said of the Oreshnik missiles. These may include military installations, defense industry sites, or decision-making centers in Kyiv,” he added. Putin said such attacks would be warranted given Kyiv’s repeated drone strikes targeting Moscow and St. Petersburg.
He said the Oreshnik missile system goes into serial production.
If used several times on one location, the weapon was comparable in strength to a nuclear strike, he said.
Russia has several such systems ready to use, he added. “Everything that is at the epicenter of the explosion is divided into fractions, into elementary particles, essentially, transformed into dust,” Putin said.
The Kremlin has been rattling nuclear saber for a while.
“Decision-making centers” is a term coined by Russian propaganda. Russia often uses it to justify its strikes on civilian sites, including residential buildings, hospitals, schools and kindergartens.
