(Updated: )
Russia launched a large-scale missile and drone attack against Ukraine the morning of Nov. 28, targeting energy infrastructure across the country, including the far-western regions.
The Air Force announced a nationwide aerial alert after warning that Russia had launched seven Tu-95 strategic bombers. Explosions were reported in mulitple cities, including Kyiv, Kharkiv, Mykolaiv, Odesa, Lutsk, and Rivne.
Local officials also reported strikes in Sumy, Chernivtsi, Vinnytsia, Khmelnytskyi, Ivano-Frankivsk, Lviv, and Volyn oblasts.
In Kyiv, debris fell in two districts, Dniprovskyi and Darnytskyi. According to Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko, the debris damaged an enterprise in the latter district.
Natalia Yermak
"The missiles approached Kyiv from different directions," Serhii Popko, the head of the Kyiv City Military Administration, said, adding that all aerial targets were shot down.
In Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast, which is over 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) from the Russian border, Russian forces attacked a critical infrastructure facility, Governor Svitlana Onyshchuk said.
In Chernivtsi Oblast, also located in western Ukraine, Ukrainian air defense shot down a missile. Several houses were damaged by falling rocket debris, local military administration reported.
One woman in Vinnytsia Oblast was injured in a missile strike, authorities said. The attack also damaged residential buildings.
A Russian missile hit local infrastructure in the town of Shostka, the Sumy Oblast Military Administration reported. The consequences of the attack are still being investigated.
The densely populated Kyivskyi district of Kharkiv was also struck by a missile during the morning attack, regional Governor Oleh Syniehubov said. Business and residential buildings were damaged. No casualties have been reported, and emergency services are at work on site.
Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko said that Russia struck a "massive blow" at the nation's power grid, with attacks on energy infrastructure occurring throughout the country. Ukrenergo, the state grid operator, announced emergency blackouts in multiple regions in an effort to safeguard the energy system from Russia's assault.
Russia has already begun redoubling attacks on Ukraine's power grid as the country enters its third winter at war.
Andriy Yermak, the head of Ukraine's Presidential Office, said on Nov. 28 that Russia was deliberately stockpiling weapons, including arms from North Korea, in order to launch mass attacks on cities and infrastructure.
"They stockpiled missiles for strikes on Ukrainian infrastructure, for warfare against civilians during the cold, during the winter," Yermak said.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Nov. 24 that Russia had launched more than 800 KAB-guided aerial bombs, nearly 460 attack drones, and more than 20 missiles over the past week.
Along with intensifying aerial strikes, Ukraine has recently faced another threat from Russia: a new intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) dubbed "Oreshnik," which Russia launched in a Nov. 21 attack against Dnipro.
The attack triggered an emergency meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council on Nov. 26 and renewed calls for advanced air defense systems from Western partners.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
