The Ukrainian government issued a warning to its citizens to cut back on the use of electricity after Russia fired missiles into the country's infrastructure, once again killing civilians as President Vladimir Putin gets increasingly desperate following damage to a vital bridge connecting Crimea and his country.
The advisory comes amid a second day of air raid warnings sounding in cities throughout the country after the largest-ever wave of missile and drone strikes on Ukraine, reports said.
On Tuesday, more than a dozen cities were attacked, with Putin's forces primarily targeting infrastructure. Energy plants in the central Ukraine region of Dnipropetrovsk suffered "serious" damage from the strikes, which came on the heels of a televised address from Putin who said he ordered the attacks to include military, communications, and other targets after the Crimea bridge attack.
Already, the damage is extensive enough that Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal is calling on citizens to limit their use of electricity, claiming that the Russian missile strikes have damaged at least 11 infrastructure facilities in eight different regions of Ukraine and the capital of Kyiv. "We must be prepared for temporary disruptions of electricity, water supplies and communication," he announced on social media and elsewhere.
11 important infrastructure objects damaged in eight regions of Ukraine and Kyiv. "We must be prepared for temporary disruptions of electricity, water supplies and communication", - Ukrainian Prime Minister @Denys_Shmyhal
— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) October 10, 2022
"The Russians fired missiles at energy infrastructure in the Pavlograd and Kamian districts. There is serious destruction. Many settlements still do not have electricity," Dnipropetrovsk regional governor Valentin Reznichenko also said following the Tuesday strikes from Russia.
Meanwhile, The Hill reported that in various cities Tuesday, "Ukrainians were sent scurrying toward shelters as sirens sounded and mobile phones blared warnings to take cover."
The Russian defense ministry admitted that Ukrainian infrastructure was now being targeted in a Telegram post: "Today, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continue launching the massive attack using high-precision long-range air- and sea-based armament at the facilities of military control and energy system of Ukraine."
The Hill also cited Ukrainian defense officials who claimed that several of the Russian missiles were downed by Kyiv's air force: "The Ukrainian air force said Russian bombers over the Caspian Sea launched missiles toward Ukraine early Tuesday, but at least four of the missiles were shot down."
Video clips posted to social media also allegedly showed some power plants being targeted by Russian missiles.
Russia's retributory air strikes are heavily focused on Ukraine's energy grid.
This video shows a thermal power plant being destroyed in Kiev.
The damage from the attacks was so severe that Ukraine is ending all electrical exports to Europe, saying its own grid is now unstable. pic.twitter.com/AhhFY0ZSt8
— Clint Ehrlich (@ClintEhrlich) October 10, 2022
Some strikes were reportedly carried out with drones manufactured by Russia's ally, Iran:
Maksym Kozytskyi, head of the Lviv regional military administration, said there were "three explosions at two energy facilities in the Lviv region."
The Ladyzhynska power plant in the west-central city of Vinnytsia was also hit by so-called "kamikaze drones," according to the plant's owner, the DTEK Group.
?? Update: Network data show major sustained impacts to infrastructure across much of #Ukraine after a series of reprisal attacks by Russia; energy facilities have been targeted per President's office ??
? Report: https://t.co/S0qJQ7CJD3 pic.twitter.com/kp93hav9xD
— NetBlocks (@netblocks) October 10, 2022
The Russian attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure will reverberate across the European continent. Because of the damage, Ukrainian government officials announced that the country could no longer sell surplus electricity to other countries.
"Today's missile strikes, which hit the thermal generation and electrical substations, forced Ukraine to suspend electricity exports from Oct. 11, 2022 to stabilize its own energy system," Ukraine's energy ministry said in a statement on its website, according to Reuters.
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