Russia strikes Kherson thermal plant, cuts residents from heating
Kherson came under a massive Russian artillery attack on the morning of Dec. 28.
Russian troops opened artillery fire against the Kherson Thermal Power Plant (TPP), causing significant damage, Serhii Koretskyi, head of Ukraine's state-owned energy giant Naftogaz, wrote on Facebook on Dec. 28.
Efforts to assess and repair the plant are ongoing. One staff member was injured and hospitalized as a result.
The Kherson Thermal Power Plant was the only source of heating for tens of thousands of apartments in the city. According to Koretskyi, Russia attacks the station almost daily.
“We are coordinating our actions with local authorities to ensure backup heating methods for the city’s residents,” Koretskyi added.
Additionally, Russia shelled residential areas of Kherson's Korabelnyi district with multiple launch rocket systems. At least nine people were injured, and private houses and apartment buildings were hit, the Kherson City Military Administration reported.
The attack was the latest in a series of strikes on Kherson's infrastructure, which previously came under attack on Dec. 4, leaving 40,500 residents without heating.
The strike is part of Russia's ongoing campaign against Ukraine's central heating infrastructure.
Overnight, Russia launched 48 drones at Ukraine, the Air Force said on Dec. 28. Ukraine intercepted 30 drones. At least 18 drones and a missile made it through, striking 9 locations.
More so than any other major Ukrainian city, Kherson — which was occupied by Russian forces for eight month in 2022 — is particularly vulnerable to Russian attacks, due to the extreme proximity of the urban area to the nearest Russian positions just across the Dnipro River.
Because of this, Kherson, its infrastructure, and its residents, are within range not of longer-range weapons like missiles and Shahed-type drones and glide bombs, tubed artillery, and first-person view (FPV) drones, which regularly target Ukrainian civilians in the city.
