Dnipro Hydroelectric Station on fire
On the night of March 22, the Russian military launched the most massive attack on the Ukrainian energy and military infrastructure over the past months. This is the second massive Russian attack in a row. The first one took place on March 21.
According to Zelensky, in total about 90 Russian missiles and 60 kamikaze UAVs targeted the country. In their turn, Ukrainian air defense forces managed to intercept only 35 missiles.
At about 02 a.m. local time, Russian kamikaze UAV began attacking targets in various cities of Ukraine. Two hours later, Russian missile carriers joined the attack. The missiles were reportedly launched from 13 Tu-95ms, 4 Tu22-m3, hypersonic Kinzhal missiles were launched from Mig-31 and ground-based missile systems were also used.
On the morning, after the main phase of the operation, some targets in Ukraine were hit by the second wave of strikes.
Footage from different Ukrainian regions confirmed numerous Russian strikes. Dozens of explosions thundered in the Kharkiv, Zaporozhie, Odessa, Vinnytsya, Ivano-Frankivsk, Khmelnitsky, Dnepropetrovsk, Kirovograd, Poltava, Mykolaiv, Sumy regions.
As a result of the attack, most of Ukrainian regions suffered from interruption of electricity supplies, Internet connection was lost. Dozens of Ukrainian trains are delayed. Damage to the strategic energy facilities disrupted the operation of large industrial entreprises.
Energy infrastructure facilities
In Zaporozhye, a dozen missile strikes struck energy and military facilities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. One of the main targets was the large Dnipro Hydroelectric Station in Zaporizhia. The station and its dam were struck by at least two missiles. At least one of them struck the engine room. According to the reports by local authorities, a fire continues at the station, traffic on the dam was blocked, while there is no risk of water breakthrough. The strikes prevented the Ukrainians from control of gateways. The generation of electricity at the station is in question.
The Ukrainian officials confirmed that there are no casualties as a result of the strikes.
The precision strike hit the Ladyzhenskaya TPP in the Vinnytsia region. According to local reports, it was hit by at least three strikes. The exact damage was not revealed.
In the Kharkiv region, the Zmievskaya TPP, CHP-3 were put out of operation.
Pridneprovskaya TPP was struck in the city of Dnipro, Dnepropetrovsk region, as well as Krivyi Rih TPP.
One of the strikes hit the largest power plant in Western Ukraine, the Burshtyn TPP in the Ivano-Frankivsk region.
Heavy damage to energy facilities in the Odessa region was also reported. Drones and missiles broke through the air defense in Odessa and destroyed one or more local substations. Presumably, the energy facilities in question are located in Kurgan in the west of the city and in the Luzanovka area.
“This is the largest attack on Ukraine’s energy sector in recent times”, Energy Minister of Ukraine German Galushchenko.
Military and industrial facilities
Russian strikes hit one of the largest strategically-important enterprise of the Ukrainian defense industry, the Motor Sich aircraft engine plant in Zaporozhye. The enterprise was used to assemble kamikaze UAVs and to re-equip S-200 missiles. As a result of more strikes, fire damage was inflicted on enterprises where the AFU has established the production of weapons and ammunition, and bases of the Ukrainian military personnel.
As a result of missile strikes in Dnipro, at least one facility of the Ukrainian Main Intelligence Directorate, which is coordinating the ongoing attacks on the Russian border regions, were destroyed. At least one air defense system launcher was also destroyed in the city.
The local authorities confirmed at least 20 heavy strikes in the Kharkiv region. One of the targets was the Elektrotyazhmash plant, which produced turbo and hydro generators, as well as power machines. More Russian strikes pounded Ukrainian military positions in the areas of Chuguev and Volchansk. The Armed Forces of Ukraine are accumulating large forces in these areas including aimed to the ongoing attacks on the Russian border regions. More military positions of the AFU, including the Ukrainian Kraken Nazi Battalion, were destroyed by Russian strikes in the area of Kupyansk.
Explosions thundered at the Ukrainian facilities in Kremenchuk in the Poltava region. The target was likely the local airfield.
Kanatovo airfield in the Kirovograd region also came under Russian attack. This air base of the Ukrainian Air Force was reportedly being prepared for deployment of aircraft from NATO.
The Russian military resumed attacks at the notorious Starokonstantinov airfield in the Khmelnitsky region. According to the local reports, at least three Russian Kinzhal missiles struck the underground StormShadow/SCALP missile depots in the area. Several local energy substations were also destroyed.
At night explosions thundered in the sea port of Odessa. The headquarters of the operational command “South” of the AFU is located there, as well as warehouses with military equipment like naval drones, but any evidence is yet to reveal the targets of the attack.
Russian strikes were also recorded in the Ternopil region. Presumably, the 777th separate material support regiment in Berezhany was destroyed.
Several Russian strikes were reported in Cherkasy. The city hosts several large military depots, including for provision of fuel, ammunition and military equipment.
According to Ukrainian monitoring sources, Russian Geran kamikaze UAVs managed to reach the western regions of Ukraine faster than usually. This may indicate the upgrade of the UAVs, or deployment of a new type of jet-powered barrage ammunition by the Russian military.
The Russian military gave a tough response to the attempts of the Kiev regime to break into the Russian border Kursk and Belgorod regions and the ongoing shelling on civilians. As promised by the Russian Supreme Commander-In-Chief Vladimir Putin, Ukrainian attacks will no go unpunished. The resumption of massive strikes on the Ukrainian energy and military infrastructure may mark a new stage of the Russian military operations, and probably the upcoming large Russian offensive on the Ukrainian frontlines.
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