KYIV (Reuters) – Russia launched a massive drone attack on Ukraine overnight from Friday to Saturday, hitting infrastructure in the south and north of the country, the Ukrainian military said.
Ukrainian air defense destroyed 29 of 38 Iranian-made Shahed drones fired from Russian territory, the Air Force said.
In a statement released on Saturday morning, it added that the attack lasted from 8:00 p.m. (18:00 GMT) Friday to 4:00 a.m. Saturday.
The Energy Ministry said that 416 localities in the Odessa region (south) and Zaporizhia (southeast) were without electricity, the strikes having affected the networks.
He added that an oil refinery had been targeted in the Odessa region.
An administrative building was also damaged and a civilian was injured, the military command for southern Ukraine said on Telegram messaging.
Two buildings were damaged in the Chernihiv region in the north of the country, according to the army.
Kyiv was also targeted, for the second time this month, but all drones heading towards the capital were destroyed in flight, authorities reported.
Russia carried out a campaign of systematic shelling of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure last winter, depriving millions of residents of heat and water.
Autumn has been unusually mild in Ukraine this year, but as temperatures dropped, authorities began urging people to prepare for further shortages.
(Olena Harmash; Jean-Stéphane Brosse for the French service)
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