On March 29, Russia launched a new combined strike on Ukraine with “Shaheeds”, cruise missiles from Tu-95MS, and aeroballistic “daggers” from MiG-31s.
In a massive attack that lasted all night, the Russians fired 99 missiles of various types and drones at Ukrainian energy facilities, the Air Force reported this morning. 58 “shaheeds” and 26 missiles were shot down.
The attacks targeted energy facilities in Dnipropetrovsk, Cherkasy, Kirovohrad, and Ivano-Frankivsk regions, the Ministry of Energy reports. The targets of the attacks were, in particular, electricity generation facilities.
Ukrenergo reported that thermal and hydroelectric power plants in various parts of the country were damaged.
As a result of the attack, emergency outages began in the Dnipropetrovsk region, and hourly outage schedules began in the Kharkiv region.
Russia has again struck the area of the city of Stryi in the Lviv region, where a large gas storage facility is located. There is no information about the consequences yet.
Due to a massive missile attack in Ukraine, Poland took to the air at night.
A night of alarms and explosions
The attack began after midnight with the "Shaheeds", who attacked the central and western regions of Ukraine almost all night, reconnaissance of the air defense system.
After 4 a.m., cruise missiles launched from Tu-95MS flew into Ukrainian territory, and around 5 a.m., Russia struck with “daggers.”.
According to the Air Force, Russia launched several "daggers" that hit the Lviv region near Stryi. This is the city that the Russians hit during the March 24 attack on gas facilities.
The head of the Lviv region, Maksym Kozytsky, reported on the “dagger” attack near Stryi.
At about 5 a.m., the Air Force reported, Russia launched ballistic missiles at the southern and central regions, in particular in the direction of Kremenchuk and Dnipro, where explosions were heard. There were also reports of a strike near Myrhorod.
After 5 a.m., the first groups of cruise missiles from Tu-95s reached Lviv region through Volyn, the rest of the missiles headed west through Khmelnytskyi, Zhytomyr and Vinnytsia regions. Eventually, the missiles headed towards Ivano-Frankivsk.
As reported on social media, explosions were heard near these cities and air defenses were in operation.
After 5:30 a.m., the Air Force reported several new missiles hitting targets near Frankivsk. In past attacks in the region, the Russians had struck the Burshtyn thermal power plant.
The air raid alert ended after 6 a.m.
Consequences of blows
12 missiles and 12 drones were shot down over the Dnipropetrovsk region at night, the regional administration reports.
Energy facilities were damaged in the Dnipro, Kryvyi Rih, and Kamiansky districts - a man was injured at one of them.
In Kamianske, five people were injured, including a 5-year-old girl. Two victims were hospitalized, summer houses were destroyed, and cars were damaged.
PHOTO AUTHOR, DNIPROPETROVSK OVA Photo caption, Consequences of the night strike in the Dnipropetrovsk region
DTEK announced this morning that three of its thermal power plants were under attack. The equipment was seriously damaged.
The Cherkasy region authorities also reported missile hits on an infrastructure facility.
Head of the regional administration Ihor Taburets said that 6 “shaheeds” and one cruise missile were shot down over the region at night.
The administration of the Ivano-Frankivsk region also reported an attack on critical infrastructure facilities.
In the Kharkiv region, two people were killed and nine were injured as a result of Russian shelling over the past 24 hours, said Oleg Synegubov, head of the OVA.
Massive attacks last week
PHOTO AUTHOR, KMVA Photo caption, Destruction of a residential building in Kyiv on March 21
On March 21, Russia launched its first major spring strike after a month-long hiatus, hitting Kyiv. Seventeen people were injured in the capital and region, but the missiles were shot down.
The military reported 31 missiles shot down. According to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the Russian military used 29 Kh-101/Kh-555 cruise missiles launched from 11 Tu-95MS strategic bombers.
In addition, according to the Ukrainian Air Force report, there were two more ballistic missiles — Iskander-M and Kinzhal. Most of the missiles maneuvered across many regions of the country and eventually headed for the capital.
In Kyiv and the region, there was destruction of residential buildings, kindergartens, and industrial facilities.
PHOTO AUTHOR, LACHENKOV Photo caption, Attack on Dnipro Hydroelectric Power Plant
On March 22, Russia carried out the largest attack on Ukraine's energy sector since the war. Generation facilities across the country were hit and damaged. The legendary Dnepro Hydroelectric Power Plant in Zaporizhia was hit, and Kharkiv was left completely without electricity.
The restoration of power supply after this is still ongoing.
Emergency power outages have begun in seven regions in the south and east of the country. Three people died in Khmelnytskyi and two in Zaporizhia.
Then Russia attacked Ukraine with more than 60 “Shaheeds” and almost 90 missiles of various types, including aeroballistic “daggers.”.
As a result of the air combat, 92 air targets were destroyed, the Air Force says: 55 “Shaheeds”, 35 Kh-101/Kh-555 cruise missiles and 2 Kh-59 guided aircraft missiles. Most of the missiles could not be shot down, because they hit regions where there is no possibility of shooting down ballistic missiles and the air defense system is not as powerful as in Kyiv.
PHOTO AUTHOR, State Emergency Service Photo caption, Clearing rubble in Khmelnytskyi
Rockets also destroyed energy facilities in the Lviv region and the Burshtyn CHP in the Frankivsk region.
On March 24, Russia launched another combined missile strike on Ukraine.
Some of the missiles hit Kyiv, others flew to Lviv region and hit energy facilities there. One missile even flew to Poland for 39 seconds.
Most of the missiles hit gas facilities near Stryi. Two Kinzhal missiles hit the same area at 9 a.m. that day. Authorities did not report any casualties during that attack.
According to the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, on March 24, the Russians attacked with 29 Kh-101/Kh-555 cruise missiles and 28 Shahed strike drones, the Ukrainian military destroyed 18 Kh-101/Kh-555 cruise missiles and 25 Shahed strike drones. It was not possible to shoot down two of the morning “daggers”.
On the morning of March 25, Russia attacked Kyiv with Zircon missiles, both were shot down, but the Academy of Arts in Kyiv was destroyed. There were no casualties.
Before that, Russia had been carrying out massive combined missile strikes throughout the winter, but paused in massive shelling on February 15, continuing with pinpoint bloody strikes on various cities in eastern and southern Ukraine.
PHOTO AUTHOR, PROSECUTOR'S OFFICE Photo caption, Destruction of the Burshtyn CHP
