KYIV — Russia launched a huge barrage of missiles and drones at Ukraine’s energy infrastructure overnight, leaving several cities without electricity and damaging the Dnipro hydropower plant, Ukraine’s biggest dam.
The attack put the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant on the verge of a blackout, Ukraine’s energy ministry said. The Zaporizhzhia facility, the largest nuclear plant in Europe, has been occupied by Russia since 2022.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia fired more than 60 drones and almost 90 missiles at Ukraine, targeting power plants and energy supply lines. Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Sumy, Poltava, Dnipropetrovsk, Odesa and Khmelnytskyi were among the areas left without electricity, Zelenskyy said in a statement Friday morning. Ukrainian air defense forces reported shooting down 37 missiles and 55 drones.
Zelenskyy used the attack to plead for more military aid from Ukraine’s allies.
