Ukraine says Russian drone, missile attacks damage power facilities

Russian missile and drone attacks hit thermal and hydro power plants in central and western Ukraine, power grid operator Ukrenergo said on Friday, the latest assault on the already damaged power infrastructure.

Kaniv hydropower plant was among the targets along with the Dnister plant, which is located on the Dnister River, flowing through neighbouring Moldova, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said.

"The terrorist state of Russia wishes to repeat the ecological disaster in the Kherson region following Russia’s destruction of the Kakhovka HPP (blown up by Russian forces last year). This time, not only Ukraine but also Moldova are at risk," he said on X.

Last week, Russia also hit Ukraine's largest dam, the DniproHES in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, eight times during a massive overnight attack.

"We urge our partners to respond quickly and decisively to Russia's intensified bombing campaign against Ukraine's critical infrastructure," Zelenskiy said in a call for more air defences.

A senior official at the Centrenergo generating company reported that the 10-unit Zmiivska thermal plant in the northeastern Kharkiv region, an area subject to many Russian attacks, had been destroyed in a big wave of strikes on March 22.

"The consequences were destructive; the station is destroyed," Andriy Hota, chairman of the company's supervisory board, told Interfax Ukraine news agency.

"There were many direct hits. Everything we repaired in preparation for the winter was destroyed."

Kyiv officials described the March 22 wave of attacks as the most intense since the February 2022 invasion.

Regional officials said Russian forces had also attacked infrastructure overnight into Friday in the Kamianske district near the city of Dnipro. At least one person was wounded.

Ukrainian energy minister German Galushchenko said power facilities in the regions of Dnipropetrovsk, Poltava, and Cherkasy had similarly been attacked.

"Electricity generation facilities were targeted by drones and missiles," Gelushchenko said on Facebook.

DAMAGE IN SIX REGIONS

Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said energy facilities in a total of six regions had been damaged.

"Again, the attack was directed both against electricity generation facilities and against its distribution system," he added.

Power grid operator Ukrenergo said on Telegram that it had to apply power cut schedules until the evening in three regions: Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kirovohrad.

The largest private power firm, DTEK, said its three thermal power plants were attacked on Friday, and equipment was severely damaged.

"Attacks destroyed half of DTEK’s available generating capacity. Five of the six DTEK power stations that had been operating prior to this week have now sustained serious damage," it said in a statement.

It added that Russian strikes on energy facilities were becoming more "accurate and concentrated".

The Ukrainian military said its air force had destroyed 58 Russia-launched attack drones overnight from a total of 60, along with 26 of 39 missiles of various types.

Reuters could not independently verify the report.

Ukrainian television said explosions were heard in the Ivano-Frankivsk and Khmelnytskyi regions and in the city of Dnipro as Russian cruise missiles were spotted.

Ukrainian power distributor Yasno said this week that DTEK lost about half its capacity after missile and drone strikes.

Ukrainian state-run Naftogaz oil and gas firm said its facilities had come under attack on Friday morning.