Russia launched 447 aerial weapons against Ukraine on the night of February 7, targeting critical energy infrastructure. Ukrainian air defense forces intercepted 406 targets, yet strikes at 19 locations caused large-scale emergency power outages across the country.
This was reported by Minister of Energy of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal. He stated that the primary targets were key substations and 750 kV and 330 kV overhead lines. Russian forces attacked the Burshtyn and Dobrotvir thermal power plants, causing significant equipment damage to the DTEK energy company.
The critical situation forced personnel to reduce power generation at nuclear plants. Emergency shutdown schedules are active nationwide, and Ukrenergo has requested emergency assistance from Poland. Restoration efforts will begin as soon as the security situation allows.
Reaction to the Shelling
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha commented on the latest act of terror, emphasizing the need for stronger sanctions and additional air defense systems. Andrii Sybiha urged the International Criminal Court to issue new arrest warrants for those planning attacks on civilian infrastructure during freezing temperatures.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized that Russia chooses strikes over diplomacy, using the cold as leverage against Ukraine.
Regional Consequences
In Rivne, powerful explosions were recorded, including a strike on an apartment building that injured two people. The damage to critical infrastructure caused water supply disruptions in the city. In the Lviv region, over 600,000 subscribers lost power, and Dobrotvir residents were left without heating and water. A residential building caught fire in the village of Staryi Dobrotvir due to falling debris.
In the Khmelnytskyi region, a man born in 1971 was hospitalized with a leg injury after his home was damaged. Meanwhile, drone strikes in the Vinnytsia region destroyed a wall of a college building and damaged dormitories, breaking over 150 windows. Within the Kyiv region, warehouses in Yahotyn and the private sector in the Brovary district were hit, damaging five houses. Furthermore, authorities in Dnipro reported damage to a communal enterprise and city transport following the drone attacks.
Earlier, The Ukrainian Review reported that the Kremlin had officially suspended strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure until February 1 at Donald Trump’s request. However, the latest attack marks the resumption of large-scale energy terror by Russia.
