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Russia has destroyed Kyiv’s largest power plant as president Volodymyr Zelenskyy chided Ukraine’s western partners for “turning a blind eye” to his country’s need for more air defences.
Ukraine’s air force said on Thursday that it managed to intercept just 18 of the 42 incoming cruise and ballistic missiles which targeted energy facilities across the country.
The Trypilska thermal power plant 50km south of Kyiv, which so far was protected by air defences, was completely destroyed in the attack, officials said. The plant provided electricity to millions of people in Kyiv, Cherkasy and Zhytomyr regions.
“All of our European neighbours and other partners see Ukraine’s critical need for air defence systems,” Zelenskyy said Thursday. If Russian air strikes were allowed to continue without a strong response, “this will amount to a global licence for terror”, he warned.
The massive aerial bombardment came after Zelenskyy in recent days intensified his warnings that Ukraine might soon run out of air defence munitions without swift passage of a $60bn military assistance package proposed by President Joe Biden in Washington.
Republicans loyal to former president Donald Trump, who has said he opposes aid for Ukraine, have blocked the bill for months.
Andriy Hota, head of the supervisory board of power producer Centrenergo, said no casualties were reported in the destruction of Trypilska plant. Videos posted on social media showed the facility in flames. “A large-scale fire [broke out] in the turbine shop,” Hota said. “The scale of destruction is terrible.”
Zelenskyy said Russia also attacked energy infrastructure in Kharkiv city and the wider region, as well as Zaporizhzhia, Lviv and Odesa regions. The state emergency service reported damage to facilities in each of the targeted regions and said more than 200 first responders were at the scenes.
Oleh Syniehubov, governor of Kharkiv, said 10 missiles had struck the north-eastern region, knocking out power to more than 200,000 residents. Kharkiv, which borders Russia’s Belgorod region, has been pummelled by missiles, rockets and drones in recent weeks.
Ukrenergo, Ukraine’s national transmission system operator, said power substations and generation facilities were damaged and that emergency shutdown schedules were imposed in the Kharkiv region.
It called on Ukrainians to limit the use of electrical appliances from 7pm to 10pm, when it predicted a shortage of electricity might occur because solar power plants, carrying much of the load after Thursday’s attack, would decrease.
General Christopher Cavoli, the top US commander in Europe, warned a congressional hearing in Washington on Wednesday that Ukraine would run out of ammunition and air defence interceptor missiles “in fairly short order” without further support from Washington.
With munitions dwindling and Russia exploiting its current military advantage, Zelenskyy and other Ukrainian officials have lobbied hard for European allies to fill the gap. They have pleaded with EU nations to provide Ukraine with US-designed Patriot systems and missiles to boost air defence.
Illia Yevlash, Ukraine’s air force spokesperson, told the Financial Times that only the Patriot system was capable of shooting down Russia’s hypersonic Kinzhal and Zircon missiles.
“Obviously we need more, which may help us to protect our critical infrastructure and cities,” he said.
Emily Foster is a globe-trotting journalist based in the UK. Her articles offer readers a global perspective on international events, exploring complex geopolitical issues and providing a nuanced view of the world’s most pressing challenges.
