Ukraine to ration electricity after Russian strikes

Military focused on energy targets in six regions

Ukrainian officials on wednesday said they were preparing to order electricity-rationing measures across the country after a major overnight missile strike by Russia, the latest in a relentless bombing campaign against civilian infrastructure.

Brownouts “are possible throughout Ukraine” between 6 p.m. and 11 p.m., the state energy provider, Ukrenergo, said in a statement posted on the telegram social media platform. the statement cited a “shortage of electricity in the power system.”

the Russian strikes, which lasted more than three hours overnight, targeted energy infrastructure in six Ukrainian regions. Ukraine’s power plants, electrical grid, and other infrastructure have become particularly vulnerable as western countries have struggled to supply kyiv with sufficient air defense systems and ammunition.

“Restrictions will be evenly distributed across all regions,” Ukrenergo wrote. “exactly how the shutdown schedules will operate in each region will be published on the official pages of local regional energy companies.”

in the early hours of wednesday, Ukrainian air defenses shot down 39 missiles and 20 drones. Sixteen missiles, including two ballistic missiles, and one drone pierced the shield, the Ukrainian air force said on telegram.

missiles damaged three thermal power stations belonging to the country’s largest power supplier, Dtek, the company said in social media posts. Dtek did not specify where the stations were located.

“another extremely difficult night for the Ukrainian energy industry,” Dtek said in its statement, adding that this was “the fifth massive shelling of the company’s energy facilities in the last one and a half months.”

Dtek, which provides about 20 percent of Ukrainian electricity, said that 80 percent of its available generating capacity has been damaged or destroyed.

Russian missiles and drones also targeted the kyiv region, damaging houses and injuring two people, the head of the kyiv military administration, Ruslan kravchenko, wrote on Facebook.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky noted that the attacks took place on the anniversary of the surrender of nazi germany in 1945, a holiday observed as “Remembrance and Victory over nazism in world war ii Day.”

Zelensky, posting on telegram, drew a parallel between Russia’s actions and those of nazi germany. “the entire world must understand who is who,” he said. “the world must not give a chance to new nazism.”

Russia’s missile strikes against Ukrainian civilian infrastructure added to “the long list of its war crimes,” Josep Borrell, the european Union’s high representative for foreign affairs, wrote on X.

“Ukraine urgently needs adequate air defence systems,” Borrell wrote, which he said would be a priority at an upcoming meeting of eU defense ministers.