Russia attacked energy infrastructure in western Ukraine on Thursday, leaving more than 1 million people without power, local officials said.
The attack left more than 500,000 households without power in the Lviv region, according to regional governor Makshin Kozytsky. Rivne region governor Oleksandr Kovar said the strike left more than 280,000 households in the region without power, according to the Associated Press. reported.
“The commander of the Air Force, together with the ministers of interior and energy, briefed on the aftermath of the recent Russian attack on our energy infrastructure,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said. I wrote on social platform X early Thursday morning.
“In total, about 100 attack drones and more than 90 missiles of various types were launched,” he continued. “Several regions reported Kalibr missile attacks with cluster munitions that deliberately targeted civilian infrastructure.''
Tensions between Russia and Ukraine and its allies have escalated in recent weeks after President Biden authorized Ukraine to use Western-made long-range missiles to attack targets inside Russian territory. are. The move displeased Russia and irritated President-elect Trump's global allies, who have a history of being somewhat critical of Ukraine.
Following the decision, a Kremlin spokesman said earlier this year that Russian President Vladimir Putin had warned that if Ukraine were to be allowed to use military tactical missile systems, it would put Russia in direct conflict with the United States and NATO. I paid attention to the comments made when I warned about deafness (ATACMS) within the border.
“If this decision is taken, it will mean direct involvement of NATO countries, the United States and European countries in the war in Ukraine,” Putin said at the time.
In response, the Russian military launched a new intermediate-range ballistic missile toward Ukraine. The news was confirmed last week in a wide-ranging televised speech in which President Putin harshly criticized the United States for escalating the war, after Ukraine accused the United States of launching a more dangerous intercontinental ballistic missile.
The launch, which Putin called a “test,” came just days after he lowered the nuclear threshold and renewed concerns that he could use nuclear weapons against Ukraine. Ta.
The Associated Press contributed reporting.
