The first massive attack on Ukraine's energy system in six months took place on September 21, when russia attacked critical infrastructure facilities in several regions. Learn more about the consequences of the missile attack and how it affected Ukraine's energy system

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At night and in the morning of September 21, russia launched a massive shelling of the energy system, and air raids were sounded in all regions of Ukraine. 

"Due to the first attack on power facilities in 6 months, 398 settlements were cut off from electricity. There were partial blackouts in Rivne, Zhytomyr, Kyiv, Dnipro, and Kharkiv regions," Ukrenergo said.

Emergency repair work began immediately after the air raid alert went off.

What did russia use to attack Ukraine?

According to the information published by the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valeriy Zaluzhny, Ukraine was attacked with X-101/X-555/X-55 air-launched missiles. The terrorist country launched the missiles in several waves. They entered the Ukrainian airspace from different directions and maneuvered, constantly changing their route. 

In total, russia fired 43 missiles, but most of them - 36 - were shot down by Ukrainian air defense. Most explosions were heard in Kyiv, Kharkiv, Rivne, as well as Cherkasy, Khmelnytsky, and Lviv regions.

According to Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko, there was damage in Kharkiv, Rivne, and Lviv regions, a hotel building was destroyed in Cherkasy as a result of a missile strike, and fires broke out in Kyiv where debris fell.

Destruction in Kyiv

More than 20 air targets were destroyed over the Kyiv region and the capital in particular. Missile debris fell in Desnianskyi, Shevchenkivskyi, Holosiivskyi, and Darnytskyi districts. According to officials, the falling debris damaged a gas pipe, buildings, and cars. In addition, seven people were injured, three of them are currently in hospital, and four people were treated on the spot.

Attack on Cherkasy: hotel destroyed

A hotel in the center of Cherkasy was destroyed as a result of a russian missile attack. In addition, a fire broke out on the territory of the market's trade pavilions.

There may be people under the rubble, according to the head of the RMA, Igor Taburets, the warhead of the missile caused the destruction of the 5th to 2nd floor of the building. According to the State Emergency Service, 9 people were injured, one of them suffered very serious spinal and head injuries, 13 people were evacuated, and 1 person was rescued from the rubble. Up to 23 more people could have been in the hotel.

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Impacts in Lviv and Rivne regions

According to the heads of the Lviv and Rivne Regional Military Administrations, there were hits in the regions. In the Lviv region, there were two hits on an industrial facility and a private two-story warehouse where humanitarian aid was stored. 

In the Rivne region, russians hit an energy infrastructure facility, but the attack also damaged civilian objects, including a service station with 5 private cars. Part of Rivne district was left without electricity.

According to preliminary information, both attacks resulted in no casualties.

Attack on Kharkiv and the region: UAF destroy 4 out of 10 missiles

At least 6 hits were recorded in Kharkiv, but 3 cruise missiles and one Iskander-K were destroyed on approach to the city. According to the mayor of Kharkiv, two people were injured in the attack.

The missiles damaged the building of a civilian enterprise in the Sloboda district. The emergency room was also damaged, with all the windows smashed. According to Oleh Syniehubov, the head of the RMA, the russians hit not only the building, but also the road.

Is Ukraine's energy sector ready for attacks and will there be blackouts?

Unfortunately, it was not possible to fully restore energy facilities after last year's russian attacks, as a significant number of main transformers were completely out of commission, which takes more than a year to restore. However, the energy sector did everything possible to stabilize the situation.

However, it should be borne in mind that the Ukrainian air defense system has become much stronger, and therefore the russians will not be able to penetrate it so easily with missiles. Therefore, it is likely that russia will not be able to destroy so many substations (we are talking about hundreds) to repeat last year's blackout.

In addition, according to the head of Ukraine's Defence Intelligence Service, Kyrylo Budanov, Ukraine will attack russia's energy system in response. 

"Let them start. They will also get a response," he concludes.

We remind you! In recent weeks, Ukraine has conducted a number of successful operations in Crimea, which resulted in the destruction of russian ships and advanced air defense systems. Read more about the special operations, which have become a phenomenon in the world history of warfare, in our previous article.

Photo: Depositphotos

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