Ukraine says downed nine of 14 Russian drones
Regional head Sergey Lysak said 15,000 people were without electricity in the city after the drone strikes
Published: 04:02 PM,Feb 03,2024 | EDITED : 08:02 PM,Feb 03,2024
A Ukrainian serviceman checks a connection with a Vampire unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) before flying near a front line, in Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine. — Reuters
KYIV: Ukraine's air force on Saturday said it downed nine out of 14 drones launched by Russia over southern and central regions overnight.
Kyiv said most of the drones were directed at energy facilities in the central Dnipropetrovsk region, where thousands have been without power since Russian strikes on Friday.
The outages have mainly affected the main city of Krivyi Rig -- the home town of President Volodymyr Zelensky.
'Ukraine destroyed nine enemy drones within the Dnipropetrovsk, Odesa, Mykolaiv and Zhytomyr regions,' the air force said, adding that most of the drones were directed at 'energy infrastructure facilities' in the Dnipropetrovsk region.
Regional head Sergey Lysak said 15,000 people were without electricity in the city after the drone strikes.
He said fires caused by the strikes affected 'two boiler houses' in the city and said 'some families were left without water supply'.
He reported 'no deaths or injuries' in the strikes but damage to two private houses.
The head of Kryvyi Rig, Oleksandr Vilkul, said energy companies will 'introduce schedules of emergency shutdowns' in the city.
He said the city's high-speed tram will stop running and that a part of some hospitals will switch to energy generators.
Ukraine's energy ministry said it was working to restore critical infrastructure.
Russia has targeted Ukraine's energy infrastructure throughout its almost two-year offensive, leaving thousands of people without heat during an intense campaign last year.
Meanwhile, a fire broke out overnight at a major Russian oil refinery in the southwestern Volgograd region, authorities said Saturday, after a drone strike claimed by Ukraine.
A Ukrainian defence source said that Kyiv's SBU security service had 'organised' the attack, which came after months of Ukrainian drone attacks against Russia.
'Last night, the air defence and electronic jamming repelled an attack by drones in the Volgograd region's Kalachyovsky and Zakanalye districts,' governor Andrei Bocharov said on Telegram.
'A fire started at the Volgograd refinery after one of the downed drones fell,' he said, adding that the fire service had already brought the blaze under control by the start of the morning.
Russian emergency services later told local media the fire had been put out.
Kyiv, which used not to claim responsibility for such attacks, has changed tactic and now publicly takes responsibility.
Russian energy giant Lukoil, which operates the refinery, says on its website that it is 'the biggest producer of oil products in the federal South district', which covers eight regions of southwest Russia. — AFP
Kyiv said most of the drones were directed at energy facilities in the central Dnipropetrovsk region, where thousands have been without power since Russian strikes on Friday.
The outages have mainly affected the main city of Krivyi Rig -- the home town of President Volodymyr Zelensky.
'Ukraine destroyed nine enemy drones within the Dnipropetrovsk, Odesa, Mykolaiv and Zhytomyr regions,' the air force said, adding that most of the drones were directed at 'energy infrastructure facilities' in the Dnipropetrovsk region.
Regional head Sergey Lysak said 15,000 people were without electricity in the city after the drone strikes.
He said fires caused by the strikes affected 'two boiler houses' in the city and said 'some families were left without water supply'.
He reported 'no deaths or injuries' in the strikes but damage to two private houses.
The head of Kryvyi Rig, Oleksandr Vilkul, said energy companies will 'introduce schedules of emergency shutdowns' in the city.
He said the city's high-speed tram will stop running and that a part of some hospitals will switch to energy generators.
Ukraine's energy ministry said it was working to restore critical infrastructure.
Russia has targeted Ukraine's energy infrastructure throughout its almost two-year offensive, leaving thousands of people without heat during an intense campaign last year.
Meanwhile, a fire broke out overnight at a major Russian oil refinery in the southwestern Volgograd region, authorities said Saturday, after a drone strike claimed by Ukraine.
A Ukrainian defence source said that Kyiv's SBU security service had 'organised' the attack, which came after months of Ukrainian drone attacks against Russia.
'Last night, the air defence and electronic jamming repelled an attack by drones in the Volgograd region's Kalachyovsky and Zakanalye districts,' governor Andrei Bocharov said on Telegram.
'A fire started at the Volgograd refinery after one of the downed drones fell,' he said, adding that the fire service had already brought the blaze under control by the start of the morning.
Russian emergency services later told local media the fire had been put out.
Kyiv, which used not to claim responsibility for such attacks, has changed tactic and now publicly takes responsibility.
Russian energy giant Lukoil, which operates the refinery, says on its website that it is 'the biggest producer of oil products in the federal South district', which covers eight regions of southwest Russia. — AFP