RUSSIA FIRED A combined 100 missiles and drones at Ukraine overnight in a barrage that targeted energy sites across the country.

The Ukrainian air force, in a statement today, said Russia launched 53 missiles and 47 attack drones and energy infrastructure, which has been heavily targets throughout the war.

Zelensky has been touring European nations in recent days appealing for more military aid for the Ukrainian army, which has been ceding ground to relentless Russian attacks.

The targeting of energy infrastructure has caused significant damage and shortages as Ukraine’s stretched air defences struggle to repel the waves of drones and missiles.

The air force’s statement details that it managed to shoot down 35 of the missiles and just one drone. Two thermal power plants were damaged in the attack, the DTEK operator said.

“It was another extremely difficult night for the Ukrainian energy sector. The enemy struck two of our thermal power plants. The equipment was seriously damaged,” the company said in a statement on Telegram.

It was the sixth major attack on DTEK thermal power plants since mid-March, it added.

Ukraine’s Energy Minister German Galushchenko said Russia had targeted sites in five regions – Donetsk, Dnipropetrovsk, Kirovograd, Ivano-Frankivsk and Zaporizhzhia – stretching from near the eastern frontlines to Ukraine’s west, which borders the EU.

The ministry warned that power restrictions were likely this evening as a result of the attacks.

Zelensky said Moscow was trying to “exploit” a lack of “determination” among Ukraine’s key Western backers and repeated his call for more air defence systems.

“Russia’s main goal is to normalise terror, to exploit the lack of sufficient air defence and determination of Ukraine’s partners,” he said in a social media post.

Russia’s defence ministry confirmed this morning it had launched a “group strike with long-range… precision weapons against Ukrainian energy facilities that support the work of enterprises of the military-industrial complex.”

It said the strikes were a “response to attempts by the Kyiv regime to damage Russian energy and transport facilities.”

Zelensky arrived at a Singapore security forum today as he seeks to rally support for Kyiv while a Russian offensive gains ground and is set to address the forum at 11.30am (3.30am Irish time) tomorrow.

The Ukrainian President has been touring Europe appealing for more military aid. His Singapore stop was announced shortly before his arrival at the hotel.

It followed a decision by Washington to partially lift restrictions on using US-provided weapons to strike inside Russia, which Zelensky hailed as a ”step forward”.

US President Joe Biden had come under increasing pressure from a desperate Ukraine to ease the curbs, but had resisted for fear doing so could drag the NATO alliance into direct conflict or even a nuclear standoff with Moscow.

Germany said yesterday it too had given Ukraine permission to fire German-delivered weapons at targets in Russia.

Russian President Vladimir Putin warned Tuesday that there would be “serious consequences” if Western countries gave approval to Ukraine.

- © AFP 2024