Ukraine has reported significant damage to the country’s energy infrastructure following overnight Russian attacks. Meanwhile, a US diplomat said Ukraine needed assistance “now.” Follow DW for more.
Russian missile and drone attacks overnight damaged Ukrainian thermal and hydropower plants, authorities said. Ukraine’s Energy Ministry said the attack damaged power infrastructure in several regions, causing blackouts. Meanwhile, NATO member Poland scrambled warplanes to protect Polish airspace in response to the attacks. The US ambassador in Kyiv said it was clear “our assistance is needed now.”
Five injured by Russian missile strike on Odesa
Ukraine’s air force downed two Russian missiles in the southern port city of Odesa on Friday, officials said.
Debris from the missiles hit civilian infrastructure, injuring five people, including a 15-year-old boy.
In a message on the Telegram messaging app, Ukraine’s southern military command denounced Moscow’s forces for “insidiously directing missile strikes on industrial and residential areas of Odesa.”
Several neighborhoods of Odesa were also hit by power outages as a result of Russian attacks on three of Ukraine’s thermal power plants, the largest private electricity operator DTEK said.
The plants suffered damage as part of a wider assault by Russia on Ukrainian power infrastructure Friday.
Courtesy of DW