Russia launched another massive attack with missiles and drones against Ukraine on Monday, targeting gas infrastructure and other energy facilities in western Ukrainian regions, Reuters reported. The agency notes that these are the latest Russian strikes on Ukraine's energy grid in the middle of winter, BTA reported.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russian forces fired more than 40 missiles and over 70 drones during their morning attack. Ukrainian air defenses shot down at least 30 missiles, he added.
„Another massive Russian attack. In the middle of winter, and Russia's target remains the same: our energy infrastructure," Zelensky wrote on Telegram.
Among their targets were gas and energy facilities that ensure normal life for people," the Ukrainian president added. The capital Kiev was also attacked, and thousands of its residents sought shelter in the metro, where they slept on yoga mats or sat on sun loungers with their pets.
The governor of Ukraine's western Lviv region said that two facilities in the Drohobych and Stryi districts were damaged in the attack. In neighboring Ivano-Frankivsk region, the governor said that Ukrainian air defenses were repelling Russian attacks on critical infrastructure there.
Both regional governors reported no casualties or injuries, but did not provide further details. Ukrainians use natural gas mainly for heating their homes and cooking. The country uses its gas reserves, accumulated in the summer, for the winter season, as daily production does not fully cover consumption. Ukraine's underground gas storage is located in the western part of the country, including in the Stryi region. Its role has grown after Kiev refused to extend the contract for the transit of Russian gas through its territory.