Russian strikes against Ukrainian infrastructure (2022–present)
| Russian strikes against Ukrainian infrastructure | |
|---|---|
| Part of the Russian invasion of Ukraine | |
Fire at the Kharkiv TEC-5 power plant after a Russian missile strike on 11 September 2022. | |
| Location | Ukraine (spillover into Moldova, Poland and Belarus) |
| Date | September 2022–present |
Attack type | Missile and drone strikes |
| Weapons | 3M-54 Kalibr, Kh-101, Kh-555 cruise missiles, 9K720 Iskander ballistic missiles, S-300 air-defence missiles, Tornado rockets, Shahed 131, Shahed 136 drones, Kh-22 cruise missiles |
| Deaths | 77 (per UN, as of 25 November 2022) |
| Injured | 272 (per UN, as of 25 November 2022) |
| Perpetrators | Russian Armed Forces |
Russia has launched waves of missile and drone strikes against energy in Ukraine as part of its invasion. From 2022 the strikes targeted civilian areas beyond the battlefield, particularly critical power infrastructure, which is considered a war crime. By mid-2024 the country only had a third of pre-war electricity generating capacity, and some gas distribution and district heating had been hit.
On 10 October 2022 Russia attacked the power grid throughout Ukraine, including in Kyiv, with a wave of 84 cruise missiles and 24 suicide drones. Further waves struck Ukrainian infrastructure, killing and injuring many, and seriously affecting energy distribution across Ukraine and neighboring countries. By 19 November, nearly half of the country's power grid was out of commission, and 10 million Ukrainians were without electricity, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. By mid-December, Russia had fired more than 1,000 missiles and drones at Ukraine's energy grid. Several waves targeted Kyiv, including one on 16 May 2023 in which Ukraine said it had intercepted six Kinzhal missiles.
Deliberately depriving Ukrainians of electricity and heating during the cold winter months was the biggest attack on a nation's health since World War II. The attacks on power stations inflicted large economic and practical costs on Ukraine. The UK Defense Ministry said the strikes were intended to demoralize the population and force the Ukrainian leadership to capitulate. This is widely deemed to have failed.
The strikes were condemned by Western groups, with the European Commission describing them as "barbaric" and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg calling them "horrific and indiscriminate". President Zelenskyy described the strikes as "absolute evil" and "terrorism". The International Criminal Court (ICC) indicted four Russian officials for war crimes connected with attacks against civilian infrastructure, including former Minister of Defence Sergei Shoigu and Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov.