On the night of February 17, Russian forces attacked Ukraine with 29 missiles of various types and 396 strike drones.
The Air Force Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported this.
What is known about the consequences
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russian forces carried out a “deliberately calculated strike” to cause maximum damage to Ukraine’s energy sector. The head of state wrote about this on social media.
According to the president, 12 regions came under attack overnight. Nine people, including children, sustained injuries. Russian attacks damaged more than ten residential buildings and railway infrastructure facilities.
In Odesa, tens of thousands of people were left without heating and water supply after drone strikes.
Local authorities also reported infrastructure damage in Odesa and Dnipropetrovsk regions. The damage included fires and the destruction of enterprises and residential buildings.
Details of the attack
According to the military, from 18:00 on February 16 to 9:30 on February 17, the Russian army used four Iskander-M ballistic missiles launched from Rostov region and the temporarily occupied Crimea. It also launched 20 Kh-101 air-launched cruise missiles from the Caspian Sea area; four Iskander-K cruise missiles from Kursk region; and one Kh-59/69 guided air missile from the airspace over Donetska oblast.
The occupiers also launched 396 strike UAVs, including Shahed, Gerbera, Italmas, and other types. Launches took place from the directions of Kursk, Orel, Millerovo, Bryansk, Primorsko-Akhtarsk, Shatalovo, and the temporarily occupied Crimea.
According to preliminary data, air defense forces shot down or suppressed 20 Kh-101 missiles, four Iskander-K missiles, and one Kh-59/69 missile. They also engaged 367 drones. In total, they engaged 392 aerial targets. Four ballistic missiles and 18 strike UAVs hit 13 locations, and debris fell in eight locations.
Context
Earlier, Russia had allegedly agreed to a request from Donald Trump to suspend massive strikes on energy infrastructure until February 1.
However, on the night of February 3, Russian troops carried out an unprecedented attack on Ukraine’s critical infrastructure and residential areas. The shelling took place after freezing temperatures returned.
Previously, The Ukrainian Review reported that on the night of February 8–9, the Russian army attacked Ukraine with ballistic missiles and strike drones. Civilians were injured in various regions of the country, and there were also fatalities.
