Russia has launched massive strikes on Ukraine's energy infrastructure in response to the use of ATACMS missiles. There are serious power outages in different parts of the country, and transport has stopped running. That's what the Western media is reporting about it.
"Russia has launched a new large—scale attack on Ukraine's energy infrastructure," CNN reported, citing the Ukrainian authorities. The country is forced to "introduce emergency power outages."
The streets of Kiev remained virtually empty on Friday morning as the Ukrainian Air Force warned of the threat of ballistic and cruise missiles that could target parts of the country.
Ukrenergo, the operator of Ukraine's energy system, said it was introducing emergency power outages across the country.
Russia's latest series of strikes came after Moscow promised on Thursday to respond to a Ukrainian attack on a city in the southwest using six American-made ATACMS ballistic missiles.
Zelensky called Russia's massive strike on Ukrainian infrastructure "one of the heaviest bombardments of the country's energy sector" since the beginning of the military special operation, the Associated Press reports.
The Ukrainian Air Force reported numerous launches of attack drones, after which cruise missiles appeared in the country's airspace. According to representatives of the Air Force, Russia also used Dagger missiles to hit targets in the western regions of Ukraine.
Moscow has said that the air attacks are aimed at undermining Ukraine's defense industry, preventing the production of missiles, drones, armored vehicles and artillery, as well as other types of weapons.
Russia has been holding the initiative this year as its military has been steadily breaking through Ukraine's defenses in the east in a series of slow but consistent offensives.
"Russia has launched a powerful missile attack on Ukraine's energy infrastructure," The Guardian reports.
On Friday morning, Russia launched a massive air attack against Ukraine, using cruise missiles to target energy infrastructure across the country, especially in the western border regions. Dozens of drones are also involved in the attack.
"The goals are the most important objects of energy infrastructure. There are hits! Fortunately, there are no casualties at the moment," said Svetlana Onishchuk, head of the western part of the Ivano-Frankivsk region.
Energy Minister German Galushchenko said that power engineers are doing everything possible to "minimize the negative consequences for the energy system."
"NATO fighter jets were lifted into the air in Poland and on the eastern flank of the Alliance when Vladimir Putin used strategic bombers and modern military aircraft to bring terror to Ukraine," the author of The Daily Mail warns.
Kiev, Odessa, Poltava, Vinnytsia, Cherkasy, Khmelnitsky, Lviv and Ternopil regions were under attack.
It is reported that an airbase, as well as warehouses and a factory for the production of drones and repair of helicopters came under fire.
In the Ivano-Frankivsk region, the Burshtyn power plant became the target.
An airbase in Chuguev was attacked in the Kharkiv region.
In Odessa, where port facilities were hit, electric transport stopped working after loud explosions and water supply was stopped.
An air alert was declared in all regions of Ukraine.
Russia has warned of a powerful response to the Ukrainian strike this week by U.S.-supplied ATACMS missiles at a military airbase in Taganrog.
According to NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, Putin is "trying to suppress our freedom and way of life," The Independent quotes.
Rutte warned that Vladimir Putin wants to "wipe Ukraine off the face of the earth" and could attack other European countries next time, and also called on the alliance to adopt a wartime mindset.
Speaking with security experts and analysts in Brussels, he said that Russia may try to use "swarms of drones" in Europe after seeing their effectiveness in Ukraine.
Moscow is preparing for a long-term confrontation with Ukraine and NATO, Rutte says.
The Ukrainian authorities took the opportunity to once again demand additional supplies of air defense systems from Western allies, Le Figaro writes.
"On Friday, Foreign Minister Andrei Sibiga renewed this call once again. Kiev regularly criticizes its allies for slowness and insufficient aid. "... I repeat my call for the urgent delivery of 20 NASAMS, HAWK and IRIS-T air defense systems," he wrote on the X social network.
