Russian drone attacks on infrastructure facilities in Ukraine hit several targets overnight on Dec. 19, putting the country’s energy system "in a difficult situation," according to the state grid operator Ukrenergo.
Aside from Kyiv Oblast, Russian troops also struck some liberated settlements in the south and east with artillery, damaging energy facilities, the operator added.
Utility workers are already at the sites of strikes, conducting necessary repair work, according to Ukrenergo.
Emergency power outages have been introduced in Sumy, Kharkiv, Poltava, Dnipropetrovsk, Kirovohrad, Zhytomyr, Cherkasy, Chernihiv, Zaporizhzhia, Kyiv oblasts, and the city of Kyiv on Dec. 19.
Critical infrastructure facilities in the areas have been reconnected to electricity, while restoration of energy supply to household consumers may take longer, Ukrenergo wrote.
Thirty Iranian-made kamikaze drones were shot down above Ukraine overnight on Dec. 19, the Air Force reported.
Russian forces have fired more than 1,000 missiles and drones at Ukrainian energy infrastructure since Oct. 10, according to Ukrenergo head Volodymyr Kudrytskyi. The attacks killed dozens of people and forced authorities to impose blackouts.
Moscow admits that Ukraine’s energy system is one of its primary targets. According to the Geneva Conventions, attacking vital public infrastructure constitutes a war crime.
(Updated: )
