Russia has launched a large-scale missile and drone attack on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure on January 15th, 2025.
The strikes targeted key power facilities across several regions, forcing the Ukrainian government to implement emergency power cuts to prevent total grid collapse.
Ukraine’s Energy Minister, Herman Halushchenko, shared on Facebook that these attacks are aimed to disrupt daily life for Ukrainians. He urged citizens to stay in shelters, listen for updates, and avoid unnecessary power use.
The Ukrainian state energy company Ukrenergo confirmed that emergency power outages affected several regions, including Kharkiv, Sumy, Poltava, Zaporizhzhia, Dnipropetrovsk, and Kirovohrad. These areas have seen frequent power disruptions throughout the war.
The focus of the Russian attack was the western Lviv region. Mayor Andrii Sadovyi confirmed that enemy missiles were fired at the area early in the morning. But no damage or casualties were reported.
Despite the intensity of the attack, Ukraine’s air defence forces intercepted a major portion of the missile and drone barrage. According to Ukraine’s air force, they successfully shot down 30 missiles and 47 drones.
27 drones were destroyed before reaching their targets. While some areas saw power restored by midday, Ukrenergo warned citizens to avoid using high-energy appliances to help manage the load.
Another massive Russian attack. It’s the middle of winter, and the target for the Russians remains unchanged: our energy infrastructure. Among their objectives were gas and energy facilities that sustain normal life for our people. Over 40 missiles were launched in this attack,…
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) January 15, 2025
The Russian Ministry of Defense claimed responsibility for these strikes, stating that they targeted critical energy facilities supporting Ukraine’s military capabilities. Although they did not specify the exact locations of these strikes.
Earlier, Russia accused Ukraine of launching a missile strike on Russian territory. Russia claimed Ukrainian missiles had hit several key sites, including an oil refinery and fuel storage depot.
While Ukraine hasn’t confirmed the attack, the long-range nature of these strikes shows just how much both sides have developed their military capabilities over the course of this nearly three-year war.
With winter in full force and temperatures plummeting, the country already struggles to maintain its energy supply. Previous Russian strikes have severely damaged Ukraine’s power grid, and the cold weather makes it even harder to restore services.
Last year, the United Nations reported that Ukraine had lost more than 60% of its energy generation capacity due to Russian bombardment.
Ukraine is working hard to rebuild its energy infrastructure, with support from Western countries. But the constant attacks from Russia are slowing the repairs, leaving many Ukrainian citizens without heat and electricity.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned Russia’s actions.
In a social media post, Zelenskyy urged Western countries to speed up the delivery of promised air defence weapons, adding that these promises have yet to be fully fulfilled.
“We are grateful to everyone who is helping our nation,” Zelenskyy said. “But this is not just about us. Right now, through the defence of Ukraine, we are determining whether Europe and the democratic world as a whole can reliably and effectively stop wars for the long term.”
References: Telegraph India, AP News
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