Russian forces launched a new wave of missile attacks on targets throughout Ukraine on Friday, striking energy infrastructure and causing power outages throughout the country.
Russian missile strikes have been reported in the Ukrainian capital city of Kyiv, the central Ukrainian city of Kryviy Rih, the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhya, and the southern Kharkiv.
Video taken from an airliner flying over neighboring Moldova showed apparent Russian strikes in Ukraine.
The Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian forces tweeted “[Russian forces] launched 76 missiles at critical infrastructure facilities of [Ukraine] this morning, among them – 72 cruise missiles & 4 guided air-to-surface missiles. 60 enemy missiles were shot down by the assets of [Ukraine] Armed Forces. Missile terror will not force us to lay down weapons.”
The Ukrainian government announced two people were killed as a result of strikes in Kryvyi Rih. Another eight civilians were also injured in Kryvyi Rih, including 3 children. 484 Ukrainian miners were remain underground after power outages in the area.
Another civilian was reportedly killed in Kherson and three more were injured.
Kyrylo Tymoshenko, the deputy head of the President’s Office, announced on Friday morning that the Ukrainian government had implemented emergency power outages throughout the country on Friday.
The Ukrainian government announced the Poltava and Kirovohrad regions were also entirely without power.
A video shared on Twitter purported to show a Russian strike on a hydroelectric plant in Zaporizhzhia.
The Ukrainian government also announced power outages at train stations in the eastern and central Kharkiv, Kirovohrad, Donetsk, and Dnipropetrovsk regions. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported Ukrainian railway operators have been switching trains from running on electricity to running on steam-engines.
Residents in Kyiv were seen using a metro station in as a shelter.
In addition to power outages, the Ukrainian government announced parts of Kyiv are experiencing water supply disruptions.
In recent weeks, Russian forces have launched several missile barrages targeting power plants, water plants and other key pieces of infrastructure throughout Ukraine. The Russian efforts to target Ukraine’s power grid could leave large parts of the country without power throughout the cold winter months and may be an effort to force Ukraine’s government to capitulate.
