russian missiles strike Ukraine's energy infrastructure by night
After the nocturnal russian missile and drone attacks that took place on the night of February 16, the damage was recorded in the north, and west of Ukraine, in the eastern region of Dnipropetrovsk and the central region of Kirovohrad, the head of the Office of the President, Andrii Yermak, reported on Telegram.
"Another missile attack by the russians. UAVs and missiles were launched at night," Zelensky's chief-of-staff said. "Unfortunately, there are hits in the north and west of Ukraine, as well as in the Dnipropetrovsk and Kirovohrad regions."
Yermak added that the russian invaders had somewhat changed their tactics. According to the head of the President's Office, the invaders conduct active surveillance and use false targets.
"But the anti-aircraft defense coped with most of the enemy's missiles and UAVs," Yermak emphasized.
In addition, the head of the Lviv Regional Military Administration, Maksym Kozytskyi, also confirmed that a critical infrastructure object was struck in the region.
"During the air alert, a critical infrastructure object was struck in the Lviv region," he said. Kozytsky clarified that there were no victims, adding that the fire was extinguished at the scene.
The air alert was announced in all regions at 3.00 pm on Thursday, February 16.
The Air Force Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported on Facebook that on the night of February 16, russian occupation forces launched massive missile attacks on critical infrastructure facilities. The russian army fired 32 air and sea-based cruise missiles.
"Unfortunately, some of the Kh-22 cruise missiles achieved their goals, hitting critical infrastructure facilities. Currently, we have no weapons capable of destroying this type of missile," the military said.
The invaders used:
- 12 Kh-101/Kh-555 cruise missiles from two Tu-95ms strategic bombers from the Caspian Sea area,
- Eight Kalibr cruise missiles from a frigate in the Black Sea,
- 12 Kh-22 cruise missiles from six Tu-22m3 long-range bombers from russia's Kursk region,
- 2 Kh-59 guided air missiles from two Su-35 tactical aircraft from the Melitopol area in Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia region temporarily occupied by russian forces.
Thus, the forces and means of Ukraine's Air Force destroyed 14 Kh-101/Kh-555 cruise missiles, one Kalibr missile, and two Kh-59 guided air missiles.