Russia hits Ukrainian energy facilities in three regions, Kyiv says

KYIV (Reuters) – Russia attacked Ukrainian energy facilities in three regions on Saturday, damaging equipment and injuring at least one energy worker, Ukrainian Energy Minister German Galushchenko said.

Galushchenko said on the Telegram messaging app that the Russian strikes targeted the Dnipropetrovsk region in central Ukraine and the western regions of Lviv and Ivano-Frankivsk.

DTEK, Ukraine’s largest private energy company, said its four thermal power stations were hit.

“The enemy again massively shelled the Ukrainian energy facilities,” DTEK said in a statement. “The company’s equipment was seriously damaged. At this very moment, energy workers are trying to eliminate the consequences of the attack.”

The company said there were casualties but provided no other details.

Since March 22, the Russian forces have ramped up their bombardments of the Ukrainian power sector, attacking thermal and hydropower stations and other energy infrastructure almost daily.

Ukraine has lost about 80% of its thermal generation and about 35% of its hydropower capacity, officials aid. Its energy system was already weakened by a Russian air campaign in the first winter of the war that Russia launched in February 2022.

Despite mild spring weather in recent weeks, Ukraine has faced an electricity deficit and the government had to introduce scheduled electricity cut-offs in several regions and turn to emergency electricity imports.

In the Dnipropetrovsk region, Ukrainian air defence shot down 13 Russian missiles, said Governor Serhiy Lysak.

“Unfortunately, we could not avoid the consequences. Energy facilities in Dnipropetrovsk and Kryvyi Rih regions were damaged, fires broke out.”

Lysak said the water supply was disrupted in the city of Kryvyi Rih.

(Reporting by Olena Harmash; Editing by William Mallard)