A devastating Russian drone and missile strike has once again wreaked havoc on Ukraine's energy infrastructure, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake. The attack, which occurred overnight on December 6, targeted substations, generation facilities, and a critical power line supplying the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.
According to Ukraine's Air Force, Russia unleashed a barrage of 653 Shahed-type attack drones, 36 cruise missiles, and 17 ballistic missiles across the country. A staggering 60 strikes were recorded at 29 different locations. President Volodymyr Zelensky, in a statement on Telegram, emphasized the primary targets of these strikes: energy infrastructure.
"The Russians' intent is clear: to inflict pain on millions of Ukrainians," Zelensky wrote. "They have descended to a new low, launching missiles at peaceful cities on St. Nicholas Day."
The impact was widespread, with explosions reported in Poltava, Lutsk, Odesa, Zaporizhzhia, and Bila Tserkva. The Energy Ministry reported that Russian strikes had severely damaged electricity generation, distribution, and transmission facilities in multiple regions, including Kyiv, Chernihiv, Lviv, Odesa, Zaporizhzhia, Dnipropetrovsk, Mykolaiv, and Kharkiv.
In Chernihiv Oblast, Russian drones struck a residential area and critical infrastructure, as confirmed by the State Emergency Services. Vitaliy Zaichenko, head of Ukraine's state grid operator Ukrenergo, described the attack as "quite severe" for the country's power system.
The strikes hit Ukrenergo's substations and generation facilities, and disconnected one of the two power lines supplying the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. As a safety precaution, other nuclear power plants are now operating below full capacity.
The Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant experienced a critical moment when it lost all off-site power for half an hour, marking the 11th time during Russia's full-scale invasion, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The 330 kilovolt line was later reconnected, but the 750 kilovolt line remains disconnected.
Russian attacks also targeted thermal power plants owned by DTEK, Ukraine's largest private energy company, in the sixth mass attack since October. While the company did not disclose the specific plants for security reasons, it confirmed that power generation equipment was "seriously damaged."
As of the morning, power outages were reported in Odesa, Chernihiv, Kyiv, Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk, and Mykolaiv oblasts. Hourly blackout schedules have been implemented across all regions in Ukraine. Tragically, there were also civilian casualties, with at least eight people injured, according to Ukraine's Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko.
The situation in Kyiv was particularly dire, with a 42-year-old man suffering shrapnel wounds in the city of Fastiv, located southwest of Kyiv's center. Earlier reports indicated that the main train station in Fastiv was struck, and Ukraine's railway authority confirmed a "massive shelling of railway infrastructure."
Governor Mykola Kalashnyk reported that two women, aged 46 and 40, were injured in the Vyshhorodskyi district, just north of Kyiv. One of the injured women has been hospitalized with shrapnel wounds.
The State Emergency Service also reported fires in a warehouse in Novi Petrivtsi and a home in Bucha in Kyiv Oblast. In Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, Governor Vladislav Haivanenko reported fires in several cities, including strikes on homes in Pavlohrad and local infrastructure in Kryvyi Rih.
An 11-year-old boy was injured in Nikopol during the attack. In the western city of Lutsk, Mayor Ihor Polishchuk reported fires in several food warehouses. Additionally, warehouses with food and medicine were burning in Dnipro and Bila Tserkva in Kyiv Oblast, as reported by Klymenko.
Poland's Air Force scrambled fighter jets to protect Polish airspace during the hours-long attack on western Ukraine, as reported on social media. However, information on the extent of damage caused or the targets of attacks was not immediately available in all regions.
Russian forces have consistently targeted Kyiv and its surrounding regions in recent months, despite ongoing negotiations and U.S. efforts to end the war. The latest mass missile and drone attack on Kyiv on November 13-14 resulted in seven fatalities and 29 injuries.
In a separate development, the HUR claimed to have destroyed a Russian Su-24 tactical bomber and other targets in occupied Crimea, according to the Kyiv Independent's Yuliia Taradiuk.
