April 27th 2024.
In a chaotic and violent turn of events, Russia launched a barrage of missiles against Ukraine overnight. The attacks were aimed at the country's energy infrastructure, causing widespread damage and destruction. This disturbing news was quickly followed by reports from Russia that their air defence systems had successfully intercepted over 60 Ukrainian drones in the southern Krasnodar region.
The Ukrainian air force responded by stating that 34 missiles had been launched by Russia, but thankfully, 21 of them had been taken down by their own air defences. Despite this victory, Minister of Energy Herman Halushchenko shared on Telegram that energy facilities in Dnipropetrovsk, Ivano-Frankivsk, and Lviv had been targeted, resulting in injuries to an engineer. Private energy operator DTEK also reported that four of their thermal power plants were damaged and there were casualties, although they did not provide further details.
This recent attack on Ukraine's energy facilities is not an isolated incident. Just weeks ago, Russia launched a massive missile and drone attack that destroyed one of Ukraine's largest power plants and damaged others. In response, Ukraine has reached out to its Western allies for more air defence systems to protect against these destructive attacks. In fact, at a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced that the U.S. will provide additional munitions and gear to support Ukraine's air defence launchers.
Moving east, the city of Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, also fell victim to Russia's aggression. A missile attack overnight damaged a psychiatric hospital, causing chaos and injuring one person. Shocking photos from the scene showed a massive crater on the hospital grounds and patients seeking shelter in corridors. Governor Oleh Syniehubov shared that a 53-year-old woman was hurt in the attack.
Meanwhile, in Russia, the Defence Ministry reported that their air defence systems had successfully intercepted 66 drones over the Krasnodar region and two more over the Moscow-annexed Crimean Peninsula. Governor Veniamin Kondratyev confirmed that the Ukrainian forces had targeted an oil refinery and other infrastructure facilities, but thankfully, there were no casualties or significant damage. However, a fire did break out at the Slavyansk oil refinery in Slavyansk-on-Kuban during the attack, according to the regional department of the Emergency Situations Ministry.
It is worth noting that typically, Ukrainian officials refrain from commenting on attacks on Russian soil. However, in a rare move, the Ukrainian Energy Ministry did announce that two oil refineries in the Krasnodar region were hit by drones. As tensions continue to rise between these two countries, the future remains uncertain and unsettling.
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