KYIV, Ukraine — Russia attacked electrical power facilities in much of Ukraine, including the country's largest hydroelectric plant, causing widespread outages and killing at least five people, officials said Friday.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said more than 60 drones and about 90 rockets were used in the attack.
The attack came a day after Russia launched 31 missiles in a single attack on the capital. It was the largest assault on Ukraine's energy infrastructure during the more than two-year-long war, said Volodymyr Kudrytsky, head of the national utility Ukrenergo.
“This attack was especially dangerous because the adversary combined different means of attack, kamikaze drones, ballistic and cruise missiles,” he told The Associated Press. He said the city of Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest, suffered the most damage.
Last winter, Russia targeted Ukraine's energy infrastructure, resulting in frequent blackouts across the country. Many had warned that Russia might repeat this strategy this winter. But instead, Russia has launched massive missile and drone attacks primarily directed at Ukraine's defense industry.
Every large-scale air attack depletes Ukraine's capabilities to repel Russian missiles. Zelenskyy has been urging Ukraine's Western allies for weeks to provide additional air defense systems and ammunition amid delays in aid from the U.S.
“With Russian missiles, there are no delays, like with aid…
