Mass attack that plunged Kyiv into darkness cost Russia over $130 million, Ukrainian intelligence says
Russia spent over 10.2 billion rubles ($131 million) on the Jan. 20 air attack that racked Kyiv's electrical and heating grids in the dead of winter, Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) said on Jan. 23.
Kyiv, home to more than 3 million people, is still reeling from the Jan. 20 attack in which Russia launched 33 missiles and 339 drones against Ukraine. The strikes destroyed energy infrastructure, leaving thousands of the capital's residents without heating as temperatures remain below freezing.
Among the 372 long-range weapons that Russia used in the attack were Iskander ballistic missiles, X-101 cruise missiles, repurposed naval Zirkon missiles, and RM-48U dummy missiles originally used in training Russian anti-air defense systems like the S-400, according to HUR.
The Jan. 20 strike also involved several long-range drones based on the Iranian-made Shahed design, now infamous for its use in attacks on Ukraine.
"For the sake of continuing to finance the war machine, Moscow is forced to raise taxes and excises and cut outlays on the social sphere and government investment projects alike," HUR said.
The attack has left vast chunks of Ukraine without power and heating in the middle of the coldest stretch since the start of the full-scale war.
The energy emergency is ongoing. Ukraine's largest private energy company, DTEK, announced on Jan. 23 emergency outages in Odesa and Dnipropetrovsk oblasts. Such outages are currently rolling across most of Ukraine, including Chernihiv, Zhytomyr, Sumy, Kharkiv, Kyiv, Kirovohrad, Poltava, and Cherkasy oblasts.
Ukraine's state-grid operator Ukrenergo wrote on Jan. 23 that the situation had worsened because of the need to take several power plants offline for repairs.
The operator urged residents to use electricity sparingly amid the strain on energy infrastructure and the threat of further Russian attacks.
Repairs and reconnections are ongoing throughout the country.
