By Olena Harmash and Dan Peleschuk
(Reuters) - Russia launched scores of missiles and drones at Ukraine on Wednesday, targeting gas infrastructure and other energy facilities in western regions in a new barrage against the struggling power system in the depths of winter.
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said that the Russian forces launched over 40 missiles during the morning attack and used more than 70 drones overnight.
Ukrainian air defences shot down 30 missiles and 47 drones, the air force said. Another 27 drones were "lost" in reference to Kyiv using electronic warfare to redirect them.
"Another massive Russian attack. It's the middle of winter, and the target for the Russians remains unchanged: our energy infrastructure," Zelenskiy said in a social media post on X platform.
"Among their objectives were gas and energy facilities that sustain normal life for our people."
The capital Kyiv also came under attack, with hundreds of residents taking shelter in underground metro stations across the capital, sleeping on yoga mats and sitting on folded chairs with their pets.
The governor of Ukraine's western Lviv region said two energy facilities, in the Drohobych and Stryi districts, were damaged. In neighbouring Ivano-Frankivsk, the governor said air defences were fending off Russian attacks on facilities.
The air force also said that gas infrastructure facilities in the Kharkiv region in the northeast were attacked.
Russian Defence Ministry said that its forces conducted strikes on Ukrainian energy facilities, successfully hitting all designated targets.
GAS SUPPLIES STEADY, KYIV SAYS
Ukraine's oil and gas company Naftogaz said there were no outages, adding that "gas supplies to population were uninterrupted."
Ukrainians use natural gas mainly for heating homes and cooking. The country uses gas stored over the summer months to use in winter, when daily production does not cover consumption.
Ukraine's underground gas storage facilities are located in the western part of the country, including in the Stryi area. Their role has grown since Kyiv refused to extend a gas transit agreement with Russia.
Russia has stepped up its bombardments of Ukraine's power sector and other energy infrastructure since March 2024, knocking out half of the available generating capacity and forcing long, rolling blackouts across the country.
Ukrainian cities, businesses, and residents rushed to install new generating capacities, including solar panels, batteries, generators, and other equipment to increase their energy independence and survive the critical cold months.
Zelenskiy, who visits neighbouring Poland on Wednesday, reiterated his pleas to Kyiv's Western allies to strengthen Ukraine's air defence.
"We have also discussed licenses for the production of air defence systems and missiles for them, which could serve as one of the effective security guarantees for Ukraine. This is both realistic and necessary to implement."