KYIV (Kyiv) (Reuters) – A new missile attack by Russian forces on Thursday caused widespread power outages across Ukraine. Meanwhile, Russia announced Ukrainian drone strikes at two air bases hundreds of kilometers from the front.
A new missile attack on Ukraine had been predicted for several days, but it came just as the damage to infrastructure was being repaired and the emergency blackout was due to end. The attack caused power cuts in some areas as temperatures dropped below freezing.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said at least four people were killed during Russian missile strikes. The military in Ukraine said they shot down more than 60 of the more than 70 missiles launched by Russia on Saturday.
Energy industry officials said they were already working to restore power supplies.
The Russian Defense Ministry said on Thursday that three Ukrainian military personnel were killed in two Ukrainian drone strikes on two air force bases in the south-central provinces of Ryazan and Saratov. Four other people were injured, and two planes suffered minor damage.
Russia’s defense ministry said it had intercepted and shot down a low-flying drone, denouncing it as a terrorist act aimed at interfering with long-haul flights.
The attack has not been directly confirmed by Ukraine, but if so, it would be the closest attack to deep Russia since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24.
Engels Air Base in Saratov Oblast, located about 730 kilometers southeast of Moscow, is one of two strategic bomber bases that house Russia’s air nuclear forces.
The Ukrainian military has shown an increasing ability to hit strategic Russian targets well beyond its 1,100 kilometer front line in the south and east of the country.
Saratov is at least 600 kilometers from the nearest Ukrainian border. Russian officials say that if Ukraine can strike that deep inside Russia, it can attack Moscow.
The so far unexplained explosions have shot down at least seven fighter jets in Russian weapons depots and bunkers near Ukraine, as well as in Crimea, which was annexed by Russia in 2014. .
President Putin drove on the Crimean Bridge, which connects the Crimean peninsula to the Russian mainland. The bridge, which was used as a logistics artery and supply route for Russian forces in southern Ukraine, also exploded in October.
Ukraine has not confirmed that any of the explosions were the result of its own attacks, only saying it was “revenge” from Russia.
“If something is launched into the airspace of another country, sooner or later the unidentified flying object will return to its starting point,” Ukrainian presidential adviser Podlyak wrote on Twitter.
Since early October, when Russia was forced to pull back on several fronts, it has resorted to attacking Ukraine’s energy infrastructure almost every week.
Police in Moldova, which borders Ukraine, said on Friday they had found fragments of a missile near the border with Ukraine.
At least two people were killed and three others, including a child, were injured when missiles hit homes in the southeastern Zaporozhye province on Monday.
Missiles also hit energy facilities in Kyiv province in the north and Odesa province in the south. Kyiv governor Kuleva said the attack cut power to 40 percent of the province.
Starting today, the Group of Seven countries (G7) and the European Union (EU) have placed a cap of $60 per barrel on the price of Russian crude oil.
Russia said it would not comply with the measure even if forced to cut production. The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, has criticized the measures as insufficient and doing little to prevent war.
According to Refinitiv data and industry estimates, the East Siberian Pacific (ESPO) pipeline to Kozmino in the Russian Far East fetched around $79 a barrel in the Asian market on Thursday, while the G7 and EU markets were priced around $79 per barrel. out that it is trading about 30% above the $60 price cap set by .
