Russia launched a massive missile strike at Ukraine overnight, damaging four power plants in the latest barrage targeting the country’s energy supply, officials in Kyiv said on Saturday.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called on Kyiv’s Western partners to supply more air defence systems to protect his country’s skies, as the air force said it had shot down 21 of 34 incoming missiles.
Moscow has launched some of its biggest ever strikes on Ukraine’s energy facilities in recent months. They have knocked out a significant chunk of production, triggering blackouts and energy rationing across the country.
Ukraine also said it hit two oil refineries and a military air base in southern Russia in its own wave of overnight drone attacks.
“Thirty-four Russian missiles overnight,” Zelensky said in a post on Telegram.
“We managed to shoot down some of them. But the world has every opportunity to help (us) shoot down every missile and every drone.”
In his evening speech on Saturday, he repeated his call for Patriot missile- defence systems “as soon as possible”.
“It is still possible to provide the required quantity and quality of air- defence systems,” he added. “We must not waste time.”
Energy facilities were hit in at least three regions — including Lviv and Ivano-Frankivsk in the west, hundreds of kilometres from the front line — Ukraine’s Energy Minister German Galushchenko said in a Facebook post.
One of the missiles landed 15 kilometres (nine miles) from the Polish- Ukrainian border, Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk said.
Kyiv says Moscow is escalating attacks from the air and on land ahead of nationwide celebrations onMay 9, when Russia marks the Soviet victory in World War II.
Ukraine meanwhile is awaiting the arrival of crucial US weapons.
Washington announced a $6 billion package of military supplies to Kyiv to include key air defencemunitions and artillery rounds Friday.
The DTEK power operator said equipment at four of its thermal power plants had been “severely damaged” in the overnight strikes.
