In brief
The assault, described as "one of the largest" by President Zelensky, raises concerns over nuclear safety amid increasing international pressure.
Russia executed a significant missile assault on Ukraine's energy infrastructure early Friday morning, leading to dire consequences for the nation's power supply. President Volodymyr Zelensky characterized the attack as "one of the largest strikes" against Ukraine's energy facilities yet, revealing that the blitz involved 93 missiles and 200 drones, including at least one from North Korea.Ukrainian Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko announced on social media that the nation’s energy sector is again under intensive assault. Ukraine successfully intercepted 81 of the missiles, with 11 shot down by F16 fighter jets supplied by international allies. Zelensky called upon the global community to act decisively, stating, “The world can stop this madness.”The ongoing campaign has caught the attention of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which reiterated its demands for Russia to cease attacks on energy sites, as these threaten nuclear safety across the continent. The IAEA’s latest resolution emphasized the urgent need for international pressure against Russia regarding its actions.Following the missile strikes, reports of damage surfaced from western Ukraine, with Lviv and Ternopil facing power outages, and Ivano-Frankivsk reported what was termed "the most massive attack since the start of the full-scale conflict."Military analysts have suggested that President Vladimir Putin may increase the intensity of these attacks as a show of strength following the recent political shifts in Syria. However, some analysts caution that Russia may be nearing the limits of its missile-launch capacity, given it has exhausted its stockpile and is constrained by industry production capabilities.Furthermore, Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh noted the potential for Russia to deploy a new intermediate-range ballistic missile, called the Oreshnik, in the days ahead. This follows previous strikes from such missiles, including an attack on a Dnipro rocket factory after Ukraine began utilizing Western-supplied missiles against Russian targets.Contributions to this report were made by Anastasia Kuznietsova. Maria Varenikova continues to cover Ukraine and its ongoing conflict with Russia.
