Still reeling from last mass attack, Russia hits Kyiv again with drones, cruise, ballistic missiles
Editor's note: This is a developing story and is being updated.
Already facing chronic power shortages in freezing temperatures, Kyiv's energy infrastructure was once again the target of Russian drones, cruise, and ballistic missiles overnight on Jan. 13 which came just four days after the last mass attack.
Ballistic missile explosions rocked Ukraine's capital at around 1:10 a.m. local time on Jan. 13, according to Kyiv Independent journalists on the ground. Additional explosions were also heard around 8:30 a.m. local time.
The Kyiv suburbs of Bucha, Hostomel, and Irpin were reportedly left without power and running water following Russian strikes. Emergency power outages have also largely been implemented in Kyiv and parts of Kyiv Oblast, Ukrenergo reported.
DTEK, Ukraine's largest private energy company, said its thermal power plant was attacked again, with equipment at the facility damaged as a result of the strike. The company noted that this was the eighth attack on its thermal power plants since October last year,
According to Ukraine's Air Force, Russia launched 18 ballistic missiles, seven cruise missiles, as well as 293 Shahed-type drones. Energy infrastructure in Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, and Dnipropetrovsk oblasts were also targeted.
Previously, overnight on Jan. 9, Russia launched a mass missile and drone attack, killing 4 and injuring 24 others in Kyiv. In the aftermath, Ukraine's capital was left without electricity, heating, and running water just as some of the winter's coldest days approached.
Immediately following the attack, approximately 6,000 buildings in the city were left without power. As of Jan. 12, about 800 residential buildings remain without electricity as crews work to restore power, according to Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko.
"Maybe this wasn't the worst attack, but this is the worst impact we've seen. Compared to all previous winters, the situation now is the worst," Olena Pavlenko, president of the Kyiv-based energy-focused think tank DiXi Group, told the Kyiv Independent.
