Russia attacks Ukraine’s energy infrastructure overnight, casualties reported
Editor's note: This is a developing story and is being updated.
Russian forces hit energy facilities in Dnipropetrovsk, Ivano-Frankivsk, and Lviv oblasts in a mass missile attack against Ukraine overnight on April 27, causing damage and casualties, Ukrainian authorities reported.
Russia launched 34 missiles at Ukraine, 21 of which were destroyed by the country’s military, according to the Air Force.
"Equipment was damaged. At one of the facilities, an energy engineer received a concussion," Energy Minister German Galushchenko said on Telegram, adding that the consequences of the attack are still being established.
Ukraine's largest private energy company, DTEK, reported that four of its thermal power plants were significantly damaged in the attack.
The company didn’t specify where the affected facilities are located, likely not to disclose sensitive information about Ukraine’s critical infrastructure.
"According to preliminary information, unfortunately, there are victims… At the moment, energy workers are trying to eliminate the consequences of the attack," DTEK wrote.
In Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, where air defenses shot down 13 of the 34 missiles, energy facilities near Dnipro and Kryvyi Rih were damaged, according to Governor Serhii Lysak.
A 39-year-old man was injured and hospitalized in stable condition, Lysak said on Telegram. The attack reportedly caused interruptions in the water supply in the Kryvyi Rih district.
Later the same day, Lysak reported that another man aged 45 sought medical assistance after the attack and was hospitalized in stable condition.
In the evening, the governor reported a 59-year-old woman injured in Dnipro as a result of the attack.
Read also: Opinion: Russia’s energy infrastructure attacks are depopulating Ukraine
Russian cruise and hypersonic missiles hit two energy facilities near Stryi and Chervonohrad in Lviv Oblast, causing fires and destruction, Governor Maksym Kozytskyi wrote.
According to preliminary data, there were no casualties or damage to residential buildings, according to Kozytskyi.
Another energy facility was targeted in Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast, causing a fire that was extinguished by first responders, said Governor Svitlana Onyshchuk. There were no casualties, she added.
Lviv and Ivano-Frankivsk oblasts are located in the west of Ukraine, hundreds of kilometers from the front lines.
Moscow has recently intensified its missile and drone strikes against Ukraine's critical infrastructure, destroying several thermal power plants across the country, including the Trypillia plant, the main electricity supplier to Kyiv, Zhytomyr, and Cherkasy oblasts.
In March, attacks reportedly damaged or completely destroyed 80% of the thermal generating capacity of DTEK.
President Volodymyr Zelensky previously said that the Trypillia Thermal Power Plant was destroyed because Ukraine had run out of missiles to defend it during an attack.
According to Zelensky, Ukraine needs 25 Patriot air defense systems to protect the entire country from Russian attacks.
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