Ukraine Intercepts 60 of 76 Russian Missiles In Recent Strikes – Russia bombarded Ukraine with a fresh round of missile strikes on Wednesday, damaging the water supply in Kyiv and causing further headaches for the Ukrainian energy sector.
Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov confirmed the strikes on Friday and described “colossal” damage done to infrastructure in the city of Kharkiv.
“There is colossal damage to infrastructure, primarily the energy system,” Terekhov wrote on Telegram. “I ask you to be patient with what is happening now. I know that in your houses there is no light, no heating, no water supply.”
Ukrainian air defenses are understood to have intercepted 60 out of 76 incoming Russian missiles which were primarily aimed at critical civilian and energy infrastructure.
Ukrainian Air Force spokesman Yuriy Ihnat also claimed that Russian forces deliberately tried to increase the chances of the missiles striking their intended targets by flying warplanes near Ukraine as a distraction.
Energy System Loses Over 50% Of Capacity
Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal told government officials that Russians have “set a goal to leave Ukrainians without light, water, and heat” through the winter, and damage to the nation’s energy system was confirmed by energy operator Ukrenergo.
According to a statement, more than half of the country’s energy capacity has been lost as a result of the latest strikes, which primarily target substations and hydroelectric power plants. The strikes have caused rolling blackouts across the country, and forced Ukrenergo to implement an “emergency mode.”
“As of December 15, there is a significant shortage of electricity in the Ukrainian energy system. The situation is significantly complicated by weather conditions: snow, icing, strong gusts of wind,” a statement from Ukrenergo reads.
“In the east, the enemy again struck an artillery strike on one of the de-occupied areas. Energy infrastructure facilities were damaged. Emergency restoration work will begin after the permission of the military.”
The national energy operator said that all regional power distribution forms are implementing electricity consumption limits.
Strikes Kill Three
Photographs of strikes in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast shared online show how residential buildings were left destroyed by Russian strikes, with officials confirming that three people have been killed and 13 injured.
Rescue operations are still underway and those numbers could change.
According to independent Ukrainian news outlet The Kyiv Independent, four children were among the 14 wounded. The strikes reportedly hit Kryvyi Rih.
Russian forces have now launched more than 1,000 missiles and Iranian attack drones since October 10 – and while most of them have been intercepted, the strikes have caused significant damage.
Jack Buckby is 19FortyFive’s Breaking News Editor.
