Already at midnight, the air raid alarms began to sound in several places in Ukraine. According to the country’s air force, a wave of Russian drones has been sent against cities across the country, and later followed up by robot attacks.
In the capital, Kiev, several explosions were heard during the morning as people went down into the subway to seek shelter. Parts of the electricity and water supply in the city have been cut off, announced Kyiv’s mayor Vitaly Klytchko.
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At least four dead
A total of 15 of Ukraine’s 24 regions have been attacked, according to Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal. At least four people have been killed in what has been described as the biggest Russian attack in weeks.
– This is one of the biggest attacks in recent times that hit such a large part of the country at the same time, says SVT’s correspondent Elin Jönsson in Morgonstudion.
The deaths have been reported in the regions of Dnipropetrovsk, Zhytomyr, Zaporizhzhya and in the city of Lutsk in western Ukraine.
Emergency stop in the electricity supply
In total, over a hundred drones and a hundred robots have been fired during the night and morning, says Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the attack specifically targeted Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, Russian news agency Interfax reports.
Large Ukrainian electricity companies have during the morning introduced an emergency stop in the power supply due to the attacks and according to Volodymyr Zelenskyj, the damage to the energy sector is great.
“But where there has been a power outage, restoration is already underway. Our repairmen will work around the clock. We will restore the electricity,” he writes on Telegram.
“Cannot be defended”
Protecting oneself against extensive attacks on the infrastructure is an almost impossible task, says lieutenant colonel Joakim Paasikivi.
– The electricity grid is extensive and it is not possible to defend every small transformer station or switchgear, he says in Morgonstudion.
According to Joakim Paasikivi, large-scale attacks like the one on Monday morning are part of the Russian strategy.
– It is part of the Russian ambition to completely knock out the Ukrainian electricity grid, the power supply and create hell for the Ukrainians, he says.
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On the morning of August 26, Russia attacked Ukraine with drones and missiles, prompting Kievans to hide in the city’s subway. Photo: EBU