Russian drone and missile strikes wounded 11 people in Ukraine overnight and left much of the country without power, authorities said on Thursday.
In south-eastern Zaporizhzhia, the regional military administration chief said that Russia had pounded the city with strikes, which hit residential buildings.
“The number of wounded in the enemy attack on Zaporizhzhia has increased to 11,” said Ivan Fedorov on Telegram.
“Among the wounded are six children – three girls and three boys. The children are from 3 to 6 years old,” he added.
Ukraine’s energy minister Svitlana Grinchuk said that, “Russia is once again launching a massive missile and drone strike on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure”.
As soon as it becomes possible, rescuers, repair crews, and energy specialists will begin eliminating the consequences of the attack, restoring power, and assessing the damage,” she said on Facebook.
Emergency power outages had been imposed in most Ukrainian regions due to the attack, according to the state power grid operator Ukrenergo.
Russia’s defence ministry said it had downed 170 Ukrainian drones overnight, including 48 in the Bryansk region, which borders Ukraine, and nine in the Moscow region, with six headed towards the capital.
Russia has kept up a near-constant barrage of drone and missile attacks — particularly on Ukraine’s energy networks — as it grinds on with the full-scale invasion it launched in February 2022.
Ukraine has increasingly responded with its own strikes targeting Russian oil refineries and other energy infrastructure.
US President Donald Trump has been trying to secure a deal since he returned to the White House in January, but talks have yielded little progress.
AFP
