Russia launched its largest drone attack of the war against Ukraine overnight Tuesday, cutting power to most of the western Ternopil region and damaging residential buildings near Kyiv in an assault that signals an intensification of Moscow’s aerial campaign.
Ukrainian air force officials reported Russia deployed 188 drones, with defenders shooting down 76 while losing track of 96 others, likely due to electronic warfare interference. Five drones diverted toward Belarus. The unprecedented attack included Shahed “suicide” drones, unidentified aerial vehicles, and four Iskander-M ballistic missiles.
The assault severely damaged Ternopil’s power infrastructure, leaving approximately 70% of the western region without electricity, according to Governor Vyacheslav Nehoda. The city, located 220 kilometers east of NATO member Poland, also experienced widespread water outages and disrupted heating systems.
“The consequences are bad because the facility was significantly affected and this will have impact on the power supply of the entire region for a long time,” Nehoda said on national television. Emergency services restored water supply by morning, though planned power cuts were being implemented.
In the Kyiv region, falling debris damaged four private homes, two high-rise apartment buildings, two garages, and a vehicle, regional governor Ruslan Kravchenko reported. The capital’s military administration said air defense units destroyed more than 10 Russian drones approaching the city in waves from various directions.
The massive drone strike coincides with renewed Russian momentum along the eastern front, where Moscow’s forces have achieved their largest monthly territorial gains since 2022. Most of Ukraine remained under air raid alert for hours during the attack.
Ukrenergo, Ukraine’s national power grid operator, implemented emergency power cuts in affected regions as engineers worked to restore service. Local authorities deployed generators to maintain essential services at schools, hospitals, and government institutions, while electric buses were replaced with conventional vehicles.
The scale and sophistication of the attack, which combined expensive ballistic missiles with cheaper drones and decoys to overwhelm Ukrainian air defenses, marks a significant escalation in Russia’s campaign against civilian infrastructure as winter approaches.
reuters
