At least seven people were killed and dozens wounded as over 200 missiles and drones were launched at more than half of Ukraine’s regions on 25th August. It was followed by a second wave of strikes early on the morning of the 26th.
It was one of its biggest air attacks on Ukraine of the war so far. Its main target was the power infrastructure, causing widespread blackouts, as the entire country was put under air raid alert. Russia confirmed it had launched attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure – one of its long-term tactics – and said all its targets were hit. According to the commander of Ukraine’s air force, Russia launched 127 missiles and 109 attack drones. Previously, an attack in December involving 158 missiles and drones had been considered the largest attack so far in the two and a half year war.
Some 15 regions of Ukraine were targeted by Russia in the strikes, Ukrainian prime minister Denys Shmyhal said. It has been claimed that missiles included cruise missiles and supersonic missiles. After the attacks, Ukraine’s Energy minister Herman Halushchenko said “the energy sector is in the crosshairs” and the extent of the damage was being investigated. Ukraine’s national energy company, Ukrenergo, has been forced to implement emergency power cuts to stabilise the system, prime minister Shmyhal said. Power outages have been recorded in several cities, including Kyiv and Dnipro, according to Serhii Kovalenko, chief executive of the Yasno energy company.
