A large-scale Russian aerial assault on Ukrainian gas plants, operated by Naftogaz, has resulted in widespread outages, leaving many homes without power and gas. The assault, which included 381 drones and 35 missiles, was launched on Thursday night.
Naftogaz CEO Serhiy Koretskyi condemned the attacks as deliberate acts of terrorism, aimed at civilian infrastructure that provides critical gas extraction and processing services. These services are essential for maintaining the normal lives of Ukrainian citizens.
The attacks have left many homes without electricity and gas. In response, Ukraine has begun importing significant amounts of gas to mitigate the disruptions.
Koretskyi stated that the attacks targeted Naftogaz’s gas facilities in the Kharkiv and Poltava regions, using 35 missiles, some of which were ballistic, and 60 drones. Some facilities suffered heavy damage. The Russian Defense Ministry stated that the attacks were aimed at the Ukrainian military-industrial complex and related energy infrastructure.
Ukrainian officials reported that the air strikes in Poltava injured an eight-year-old child and two women. The historic St. Nicholas Church also suffered damage, with many of its windows shattered.
Meanwhile, Ukraine responded by launching a retaliatory drone strike on the Orsk oil refinery in Russia, approximately 1,400 kilometers (900 miles) from the Ukrainian border. The strike was carried out using long-range, domestically-produced drones, as reported by the head of the Center for Counteracting Disinformation.
In addition, Ukrainian drone strikes caused a temporary interruption of operations at the Azot chemical plant in Berezniki, one of Russia’s largest chemical plants, located 1,500 kilometers (930 miles) from Moscow. The Russian Foreign Ministry reported that its air defense systems shot down at least 20 Ukrainian drones on Thursday night, mostly over the Black Sea.