Russia bombards power facilities across Ukraine

• Russia launched a devastating missile assault on Ukraine on Thursday
• At least 19 people were injured in the attacks, and two people were killed.
• This occurred just hours before Volodymyr Zelenskyy was scheduled to meet with Joe Biden.

Ukraine faced a devastating nationwide missile assault by Russia on Thursday, which targeted energy facilities in Kyiv and other cities.

This occurred just hours before President Volodymyr Zelensky was scheduled to meet with US President Joe Biden at the White House.

In the southern city of Kherson, two individuals lost their lives, and in Kyiv, seven people, including a 9-year-old girl, were wounded in the latest attack.

Debris from an infrastructure facility damaged a residential building, leading to the hospitalization of a child and an 18-year-old woman, as confirmed by Mayor Vitalii Klitschko.

Officials described it as a “terrible night for Kherson city,” highlighting damage to apartment buildings and vehicles due to Russian shelling in residential areas.

In the city of Kharkiv, where Russia launched six strikes in the early hours, two individuals were injured, according to local authorities.

Additionally, at least 10 people were injured in overnight missile attacks on the city of Cherkasy in central Ukraine.

These strikes marked the first instance in six months of Russia targeting Ukraine’s power infrastructure, as reported by the state energy provider Ukrenergo.

This occurred just as Ukraine prepared for colder seasons, which would necessitate increased energy usage for heating.

It is worth noting that last year, Russia initiated a series of intense attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure in October.

Ukrenergo stated that the overnight missile attacks resulted in damage to power facilities in western and central regions, leading to blackouts in several areas.

Ukrainian air defenses successfully intercepted 36 out of 43 missiles launched by Russia on Thursday, according to Ukraine’s army chief.

However, air raid alerts continue in parts of the country, with some Ukrainian officials cautioning that the missile threat remains ongoing.

These attacks occurred as Kyiv reached a distressing milestone, surpassing 1,000 hours of air raid alarms since the beginning of the Russian invasion, according to the head of the city’s military administration.

“It’s a restless morning,” Ukraine’s Minister of Internal Affairs Ihor Klymenko said Thursday, as he urged Ukrainians to follow the safety rules.