By Pavel Polityuk and Yuliia Dysa
KYIV (Reuters) -A massive Russian air assault struck several of Ukraine’s main gas production facilities, officials said on Friday, in some cases causing critical damage as Ukraine prepares for a new heating season.
Russia fired 35 missiles and 60 drones at sites of the state gas and oil company Naftogaz in the Kharkiv and Poltava regions overnight, said CEO Sergii Koretskyi, adding the attack was the biggest of the war on gas production.
“As a result of this attack, a significant portion of our facilities has been damaged. Some of the destruction is critical,” he said on Facebook, adding that there was “no military rationale” for this strike.
The Russian Defence Ministry confirmed its forces had carried out massive overnight strikes on Ukraine’s gas and energy infrastructure, saying it had also attacked military-industrial facilities.
“Just before the heating season starts, Russians are looking for ways to cause more harm to our people,” President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in his evening address, adding that only half of the missile salvo has been shot down.
Ukraine has boosted gas imports, fearing disruption of domestic supplies, and intends to stockpile 13.2 billion cubic meters (bcm) of gas in storage facilities by mid-October. This will include some 4.6 bcm of imported gas.
Russian strikes on Ukraine’s gas infrastructure earlier this year cut domestic output by 40%.
BLACKOUTS, FUEL CRISIS
Ukraine’s top private energy provider DTEK said it had suspended operations at several gas facilities in the Poltava region after the overnight attack.
Over 8,000 consumers were left without power, the regional governor said.
According to Ukraine’s air force, the massive Russian strike on 6 out of 24 regions included a total of 381 drones and 35 missiles.
Russia has stepped up its attacks on Ukraine’s energy sector as the fourth winter of war approaches, and they have already triggered prolonged blackouts in several regions.
Late on Friday, Russian attacks left without power part of eastern Donetsk region, including the frontline city of Kostiantynivka, the regional governor said.
A drone attack on the northern Kyiv and Chernihiv regions on Wednesday knocked out power to the Chornobyl nuclear power plant for three hours, including the new containment vessel erected in 2016 to keep radiation from leaking.
Seeking retaliation, Kyiv’s troops have also stepped up deep strikes on oil refineries deep in Russia in recent months, prompting fuel shortages in some regions.
In September alone, Ukraine attacked 19 oil facilities across Russia and Russia-occupied territories of Ukraine, according to the commander of Ukraine’s drone forces.
On Friday, Ukrainian drones hit Orsknefteorgsintez refinery in the Russian city of Orsk near the border with Kazakhstan, causing fires.
(Reporting by Pavel Polityuk and Yuliia Dysa; Editing by Alison Williams, Gareth Jones and Chizu Nomiyama)
