Russia attack on Ukraine energy sites 'hit all targets': MoD
Power outages have been widely reported, while three fatalities have been recorded, according to Ukrainian officials.
Russia launched a large-scale attack, consisting of barrages of missiles and drones, against energy facilities and infrastructure across 15 Ukrainian regions, earlier on Monday. The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed that all targets were hit.
"This morning Russian armed forces carried out a mass strike using long-range high-precision weaponry... on critically important energy infrastructure facilities," the ministry said on Telegram, confirming that "All the set targets were hit."
According to Ukrainian media, explosions were heard in Kiev, Kharkov, Sumy, Poltava, Vinnytsia, Kirovograd, Dnipropetrovsk, Ivano-Frankivsk, Lvov, and Odessa, with AFP correspondents reporting smoke rising amid the impact of the strikes.
In Odessa, an electricity facility was hit, Sergei Lebedev, the coordinator of a local pro-Russian underground network, told Sputnik.
In Ivano-Frankivsk, the strike hit an equipped aircraft hangar, in an area where the Ukrainian Air Force had hidden two F-16 aircraft, also amid a power outage, the agency reported, whereas a site where Ukrainian forces were stationed was also directly targeted in Volyn.
Targeted energy facilities in each of Lvov and Kiev caused power outages in both regions and their wider vicinities, Ukrainian officials stated.
Across Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Lutsk, three casualties were recorded, according to Ukrainian officials and authorities.
Russia inflicts more losses among Kiev's forces in Kursk
The attack comes amid the Ukrainian Armed Forces' attempt to advance in Kursk. However, even on that front, Kiev is suffering large losses in confrontations with the Russian army.
Most recently, the Russian Defense Ministry reported that with the help of air defenses and artillery, Russian units from the North Group were able to foil Ukrainian attacks near the settlements of Borki and Malaya Loknya, as well as Komarovka, Korenevo, Martynovka, and Russkaya Konopelka.
Ukraine lost 70 military servicemen, two armored vehicles, and a car, during the operation, Russia stated.
Reconnaissance and search teams were simultaneously working to locate and dismantle Ukrainian sabotage groups hiding in forests as they attempted to advance further into Russian territory. The Ministry confirmed that one such group was reportedly eliminated near Kamyshevka.
Since initiating its cross-border attack earlier this month, which reportedly included some of Kiev’s most well-equipped and experienced troops, the Ukrainian Armed Forces have reportedly lost approximately 5,137 soldiers, 69 tanks, 27 infantry fighting vehicles, 55 APCs, 350 armored combat vehicles, 34 artillery units, five anti-aircraft missile systems, 11 MLRS launchers (including three US-made HIMARS), and various other heavy equipment, as per Moscow's estimates.