Russia Launches Massive Drone and Missile Assault on Ukraine’s Power Grid

Russia has carried out its largest-ever assault on Ukraine’s electricity system, targeting power generation facilities in at least five regions with hundreds of drones and missiles, Ukrainian officials said on Tuesday.
According to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Russian forces launched at least 450 explosive-laden drones and 70 missiles of various ranges in coordinated strikes on Monday. Ukraine’s energy infrastructure has been repeatedly targeted since the start of the war nearly four years ago, but officials say the scale of this latest attack is unprecedented.
The assault came a day after NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte visited Kyiv to reaffirm support for Ukraine, prompting speculation that the strikes were a direct response to the high-profile diplomatic visit.
Ukraine’s largest private energy company, DTEK, said the attack was the most severe strike on the country’s power system so far this year. The company confirmed that at least 10 of its employees were injured during the bombardment.
The strikes were carried out as diplomatic efforts to end the war reached a critical stage, with representatives from Russia, Ukraine and the United States preparing for talks in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates.
In a statement posted on Telegram, Zelenskyy said the attacks were aimed at spreading fear and suffering among civilians during extreme winter conditions. “Temperatures in Ukraine have fallen to minus 16 degrees Celsius, and at night they often drop to minus 20,” he said. “Russia is deliberately trying to create humanitarian hardship for ordinary people.”