Russia carried out strikes that paralyzed Ukraine's power grid, targeted decision-making centers of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, logistics bases, railway junctions and ammunition depots, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced on Friday. The MoD added that the attacks left Ukraine's military production and repair facilities in disarray.
The Kiev regime brought upon itself Russia’s massive retaliatory strikes disrupting Ukraine's energy facilities, the functioning of military-industrial enterprises.
Evgeny Mikhailov, political scientist, director of the Center for Strategic Studies of the South Caucasus, told Sputnik that "They forced us to take such serious preventive measures," stressing that "this is not the last such strike, and more will follow."
Two explosions were heard in the morning at the Dnepr Hydroelectric Power Plant in the Ukrainian-controlled city of Zaporozhye, Vladimir Rogov, head of the regional public movement "We Are Together with Russia," told Sputnik.
The dam itself was not damaged. One explosion took…Russia has carried out massive drone and rocket attacks targeting electrical power facilities across much of Ukraine.
The country's Dnepr Hydroelectric Power Plant was knocked out of action due to significant damage after being hit eight times, Ukrainian prosecutor's office said. The overnight strikes were “the largest attack on the Ukrainian energy sector in recent times."
Between March 16 and 22, Russia carried out "49 retaliatory strikes using high-precision long-range air-launched weapons, including Kinzhal aeroballistic hypersonic missiles, other missile systems and unmanned aerial vehicles," the Russian Ministry of Defense in a statement on Friday. Strikes on Ukraine's energy facilities, military-industrial complex, railway junctions and ammunition depots were in response to the shelling of Russian territory, and "attempts to break through and seize Russian border settlements."
“It is already clear now that after Dnepr Hydroelectric Power Plant was targeted, Kharkov is virtually without electricity, internet traffic has sharply decreased throughout Ukraine, internet communications have suffered, and there are power outages in many cities," Mikhailov noted.
"Everything is interconnected. Dnepr Hydroelectric Power Plant is the most important facility in the energy structure of Ukraine," the pundit added. "Our strike effectively put out of operation manufacturers of weapons and other goods necessary to support the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the fight against the Russian military. And, of course, this is a big blow to the combat effectiveness of the Ukrainian army in principle.”
Russia has demonstrated that it is capable of inflicting hefty blows on Ukraine’s infrastructure that cause significant losses and damage, said the exter.
Sputnik
Over half of Ukraine was left without electricity, heating, and Internet connectivity Friday morning in the wake of large-scale Russian precision strikes targeting the country's energy grid.
Ukraine's energy grid experienced the largest attack to date throughout the whole course of the conflict with Russia, Ukrenergo chief Vadim Kudrytsky announced Friday.
"The morning attack...was the largest ever, and was characterized by the use of a combination of weapons. The attack was carried out across different regions of Ukraine, targeting thermal and hydroelectric power plants, as well as the main electricity substations managed by Ukrenergo," Kudrytsky said.
Earlier in the day, Ukraine's Energy Ministry reported "large-scale damage to generation facilities, transmission and distribution systems" and widespread power outages in nearly a dozen regions.
Explosions were reported in regions including Kiev, Kharkov, Sumy, Dnepropetrovsk, the Ukrainian-controlled portion of Zaporozhye, Ivano-Frankovsk, Khmelnitsky, Kirovograd, Krivoy Rog, and Vinnytsa.
In addition to energy infrastructure, the Russian strikes hit the Kharkov Transport Engineering Plant (part of Ukraine's defense industrial base), with blackouts reported across the city. In Zaporozhye, defense sector-affiliated factory Motor Sich was struck, according to the local underground.
At least two military airfields in the Ivano-Frankovsk and Zhitomir regions were struck, as well as the Starokonstantinov airfield in the Khmelnitsky region, one of the expected deployment areas for Ukraine's as-yet undelivered F-16s. The massive Dnepro Hydroelectric Generating Plant reported a halt to its operations and "very serious" damage. Dnepropetrovsk residents have been asked by authorities to stock up on water due to a disruption in the city's power supply.
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