Russian forces launched a large-scale missile and drone strike on Ukraine early Thursday, June 20, targeting power facilities in several regions. The Ukrainian Air Force reported the assault damaged infrastructure in Vinnytsia, Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, and Kyiv.
The attack included: - 4 X-101/X-555 cruise missiles from TU-95 strategic aircraft over the Caspian Sea. - 3 Iskander-M ballistic missiles from the Voronezh region. - 2 X-59 guided missiles from the Sea of Azov. - 27 Shahed-131/136 drones from Primorsko-Akhtarsk.
Ukraine's air defenses, involving fighter aircraft, anti-aircraft missile units, and electronic warfare equipment, successfully repelled many of the airborne threats. Ukrainian officials, however, reported substantial damage to the country's energy infrastructure.
In Vinnytsia, a critical infrastructure site was struck by drones, leading to immediate emergency measures but no injuries. Kyiv also faced attacks from Shahed drones, though these were intercepted with no reported casualties or significant damage. DTEK, a major energy company, confirmed one of its thermal power plants was hit, injuring three employees and causing severe damage.
This event is part of a pattern of intensified attacks on Ukraine's electricity grid. President Volodymyr Zelensky noted these bombings have halved Ukraine's electricity production over the past year. Volodymyr Kydrytsky of Ukrenergo and Oleksandr Kharchenko from the Center for Energy Research warned of potential increases in scheduled power outages and emergency blackouts.
Ukraine's air defense forces operated across multiple regions, including Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, Mykolaiv, Kherson, Kharkiv, Kyiv, Cherkasy, Poltava, and Vinnytsia, and successfully destroyed numerous incoming missiles and drones.