Russia launches nine-hour rocket and drone attack on Ukraine’s energy facilities

Russian forces launched a night-long missile and drone attack on Ukraine.

The air raid alarm sounded for nine hours across Ukraine due to the threat of missile strikes from Russian Tu-95MS aircraft, Rubryka reports.

On Thursday evening, Russian forces launched drone strikes from multiple directions into Ukrainian territory. Around 4:00 a.m., it became known that Russians had launched cruise missiles.

Explosions were heard in the east-central Dnipropetrovsk, western Khmelnytskyi, and Ivano-Frankivsk regions. The following cities were under attack: Dnipro, Kamianske, Pavlohrad, Kremenchuk, Ivano-Frankivsk, some towns in the Dnipropetrovsk region, and certain facilities in the western Lviv region.

The strikes targeted Ukraine's energy complex, according to the Ukrainian Air Force Commander, Mykola Oleshchuk.

He stated that Russians carried out a powerful missile and aviation attack on the Ukrainian fuel and energy sector on the night of March 29, using 99 air threats, namely, various types of missiles and strike drones:

• 60 Shahed-136/131 strike drones (launch area: Prymorsk-Akhtarsk, Kursk Oblast, Russian);
• Three Kh-47M2 "Kinzhal" aeroballistic missiles (from three MiG-31K fighter jets, Ryazan Oblast, Russia);
• Two Iskander-M ballistic missiles (temporarily occupied Crimea);
• Nine Kh-59 guided aviation missiles (from nine Su-34 aircraft, Belgorod Oblast, Russia);
• Four Iskander-K cruise missiles (Kursk Oblast, Russia);
• 21 Kh-101/Kh-555 cruise missiles (from 11 Tu-95MS strategic bombers, Engels, Russia).

Anti-aircraft missile units of the Air Force and Ground Forces, mobile fire groups, and the Ukrainian electronic warfare assets repelled the strikes, downing 84 aerial targets:

• 58 Shahed-136/131 strike UAVs;
• 17 Kh-101/Kh-555 cruise missiles;
• 5 Kh-59 guided aviation missiles;
• Four Iskander-K cruise missiles.

Local administrations in the central Cherkasy region, the city of Kamianske in the Dnipropetrovsk region, and Dnipro reported the downing of Russian aerial threats and damage.

Ihor Taburets, Head of the Cherkasy Regional State Administration, announced that the air defense system downed several Russian drones.

Serhii Lysak, Head of the Dnipropetrovsk Regional State Administration, reported that the Russians attacked several critical infrastructure facilities in the region.

Lysak added that the latest enemy attack injured one person in the Kamianske district. The man was hospitalized in serious condition.

"The enemy's main target is our people and fasciitis providing vital services to the population," said the head of the Dnipropetrovsk administration.

Russians attacked three thermal power plants of the Ukrainian energy company DTEK, seriously damaging the equipment. Energy workers promptly began to eliminate the consequences after the attack.

According to initial reports, an energy worker was injured. The necessary assistance was provided to him promptly.

Russian troops also struck power stations in the central and western regions of Ukraine.

"At night, Russians again attacked energy facilities during a massive attack. Thermal and hydroelectric power plants in central and western regions were damaged," the Ukrainian energy operator UkrEnergo reports.

Emergency outage schedules are currently applied in the Dnipropetrovsk region, and hourly power outages are introduced in the Kharkiv region.

As reported, Russian occupiers deployed a submarine missile carrier to the Black Sea after a week-long pause. Since the start of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, Ukrainian defenders have managed to destroy four large landing ships of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, and five landing ships remain in the hands of the aggressors.