Russian Missile and Drone Attack on Ukraine
On December 6, a significant missile and drone strike by Russia targeted Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, resulting in damage to substations and generation facilities, and severing a power line supplying the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.
According to Ukraine’s Air Force, the assault involved 653 Shahed-type drones, 36 cruise missiles, and 17 ballistic missiles, with 60 strikes recorded across 29 locations.
President Volodymyr Zelensky highlighted that the predominant focus of the attacks remains on energy infrastructure. He noted, “The Russians aim to harm millions of Ukrainians, demonstrating their cowardice by striking peaceful cities on St. Nicholas Day.”
Explosions were reported in several cities, including Poltava, Lutsk, Odesa, Zaporizhzhia, and Bila Tserkva. The Energy Ministry detailed that Russian strikes damaged electricity facilities in Kyiv, Chernihiv, Lviv, Odesa, Zaporizhzhia, Dnipropetrovsk, Mykolaiv, and Kharkiv oblasts.
In Chernihiv Oblast, drones targeted residential areas and critical infrastructure in both the region and Chernihiv city. Vitaliy Zaichenko, head of Ukrenergo, described the attack as “quite severe,” noting that one of the two power lines to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant has been disconnected.
As a result of the strikes, various nuclear power plants in Ukraine are now operating below capacity for safety reasons due to concerns about instability in power supply. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported that the Zaporizhzhia plant temporarily lost all off-site power for 30 minutes, marking the 11th such incident during the ongoing conflict.
Power outages were widespread in Odesa, Chernihiv, Kyiv, Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk, and Mykolaiv, prompting hourly blackout schedules across Ukraine. Civilian casualties were reported, with at least eight injuries from the attacks, including individuals from Kyiv and Dnipropetrovsk oblasts.
