Europe 1 with AFP // Credits: ANATOLII STEPANOV / AFP 10:32 a.m., February 3, 2024
During the night from Friday to Saturday, nine out of 14 drones launched by Russia over southern and central Ukraine were shot down by the Ukrainian army, according to kyiv. These devices, of the Shahed type, targeted “energy infrastructure” in the central region of Dnipro, where thousands of people are deprived of electricity.
The Ukrainian Air Force said on Saturday it had shot down nine of 14 drones launched by Russia in southern and central Ukraine overnight from Friday to Saturday. “Ukraine destroyed nine enemy drones in the Dnipro, Odessa, Mykolaiv and Zhytomyr regions,” the Kiev Air Force said. Most of the Iranian-made Shahed drones targeted "energy infrastructure" in the central Dnipro region, where thousands are without power.
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Families without water supply
The power outages mainly affected Kryvyi Rig, the hometown of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The governor of the Dnipro region, Serguii Lysak, said that 15,000 residents of Kryvyi Rig were without electricity after the drone attack. Fires caused by the strikes affected "two boiler rooms" in the city and "some families find themselves without a water supply", he added, indicating that "no deaths or injuries" had been reported, but that two homes had been damaged.
The head of the city's military administration, Oleksandr Vilkul, indicated for his part that energy companies would "introduce emergency cut-off times" in the city. The Kryvyï Rig high-speed tram will stop operating and part of some hospitals will use generators. Ukraine's Energy Ministry said it was working to restore critical infrastructure. Since its invasion of Ukraine began almost two years ago, Russia has targeted the country's energy infrastructure, leaving thousands without heat during an intense campaign last year.