Photo author, Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation
Photo caption Tu-95MS bombers attacking Ukraine with cruise missiles
April 27, 2024
On the night of April 26-27, Russia launched an unusual combined missile attack on Ukraine – they attacked Dnipro, Ivano-Frankivsk region and Lviv region. The main goal was energy.
As a result, 21 out of 34 missiles were shot down, the Air Force reported. Their report states that four Dagger ballistic missiles failed to be shot down.
It was also possible to shoot down 6 out of 8 Kalibr cruise missiles flying from the Black Sea. These sea-based missiles have not flown into Ukraine for a long time.
Even before midnight, the Russians struck with cruise missiles from the south and “daggers” from the MiG-31. After 4:30 a.m., cruise missiles from Tu-95MS bombers and “daggers” were used again.
At midnight, cruise missiles and “daggers” flew across the center of Ukraine and turned in a western direction. Local channels reported explosions in Ivano-Frankivsk region, and rockets could hit the districts of Zhytomyr, Khmelnytskyi and Ternopil regions.
The first missiles from the Tu-95MS flew into Ukraine at around 4 o’clock in the morning following a strange trajectory through the Kyiv region to Zhytomyr, and from there to the south.
Other rockets flew from the sea and headed for the Dnipro, Pavlograd and Kryvyi Rih, as well as rockets that flew through the Kharkiv region hit the Dnipro. Several waves of rockets rolled into Dnipropetrovsk Oblast from the side of occupied Crimea.
Author of the photo, Dnipropetrovsk OVA
Photo caption Consequences of a night strike in the Dnipropetrovsk region
A separate group of cruise missiles flew into Ukraine through Sumy Oblast and headed west through Kyiv Oblast to Lviv Oblast. At 6:30 p.m., the rockets approached Lviv, the head of the region Maksym Kozytskyi reported.
Around 5:15 a.m., the Air Force reported a new takeoff of the MiG-31K, a carrier of aeroballistic “daggers.” According to the Air Force, the daggers struck in the direction of the western regions.
Explosions were heard in Lviv closer to 6 o’clock in the morning. According to the authorities, various types of rockets hit Stryi – it was particularly dangerous there, as Kozytskyi and the Air Force stated.
This spring, Russia repeatedly struck the Stryi, namely underground gas storages.
Around midnight, Russia also attacked Kharkiv with ballistic missiles. According to Mayor Igor Terekhov, it landed near a medical facility. “There are no casualties at this time – the windows of the hospital were blown out. But this is preliminary information,” he wrote at night.
Russia’s massive missile attack on Ukraine ended at 6 o’clock in the morning.
There is no information about the dead, it is known about a 39-year-old wounded man in the Dnipropetrovsk region and a slightly wounded man in Kharkiv.
The DTEK enterprise also informed about the victims, but did not specify the details.
The main goal is energy
DTEK reported that Russia attacked four thermal power plants that night, and that “the equipment was seriously damaged.”
DTEK did not specify which regions were affected.
Attacks on energy facilities were reported in Dnipropetrovsk region, there are also water supply interruptions, in Lviv region and Prykarpattia.
The author of the photo is the State Emergency Service of the Frankiv region
Photo caption, In Ivano-Frankivsk region, a fire is being extinguished at an energy infrastructure facility
“The enemy attacked two objects of critical energy infrastructure in the Stryi and Chervonohrad districts. Fires have started. There is destruction,” wrote the head of the Lviv OVA.
There are no emergency shutdowns yet, they say in the Lviv Region. But the energy system is “difficult”, so from 19:00 to 22:00 people are asked not to turn on electric kettles, air conditioners, heaters, irons, washing machines, microwaves, boilers and vacuum cleaners.
The Russians also attacked the gas infrastructure facilities of the Naftogaz Group, the company reported. They state that the attack “will not affect the provision of services”.
Massive strikes in the spring and destruction of energy
Photo copyright: KMVA
Photo caption, Destruction of a residential building in Kyiv on March 21
In the spring of 2024, Russia began a new campaign to destroy the Ukrainian energy industry – it destroyed at least three thermal power plants near Kharkiv, Burshtyn and Kyiv. A number of hydroelectric power plants were also significantly damaged, in particular in Zaporizhzhia and Kanev.
That is, Russia focused on the destruction of shunting generation, which helped to survive the peak loads of the network.
The authorities announced huge destruction of the energy sector, and in many areas had to introduce electricity blackout schedules. In general, Kharkiv found itself on the verge of an energy disaster.
Residential buildings, kindergartens and industrial facilities were destroyed in Kyiv and the region.
Photo copyright: Lachenkov
Caption to the photo, The strike on the Dnipro HPP at the end of March 2024
On March 22, Russia carried out the largest attack on Ukraine’s energy sector during the entire war. There were hits and damage to generation facilities throughout the country. The legendary Dnipro HPP in Zaporizhzhya was hit, and Kharkiv was left completely without electricity and its own thermal power plant.
The restoration of power supply after that is still ongoing.
Emergency blackouts began in seven regions of the south and east of the country. Three people died in Khmelnytskyi, and two in Zaporizhzhia.
Rockets also destroyed energy facilities in Lviv Oblast and the Burshtynska CHP in Frankiv Oblast.
Then Russia attacked Ukraine with more than 60 Shaheds and almost 90 missiles of various types. Including aeroballistic “daggers”.
Author of the photo, DSNS
Caption to the photo, Sorting out rubble in Khmelnytskyi in March 2024
Some of the missiles hit Kyiv, others flew to Lviv region and hit energy facilities there. One rocket even flew to Poland for 39 seconds.
At the same time, most of the rockets hit underground gas storage facilities near Stryi. Two “Kinzhal” missiles hit there at 9 a.m. that day. The authorities did not report any casualties during that attack, but the destruction was significant.
Photo copyright: Prosecutor’s Office
Photo caption Burshtynska thermal power station in Frankiv region, destroyed in March
Then they again damaged energy facilities in a number of regions in the center and west of Ukraine. Problems with light began in six regions.
Among other things, Russia attacked the Kaniv and Dniester HPPs. The authorities did not report any casualties, but they were wounded.
During the massive attack on March 29, which lasted all night, the Russians fired 99 missiles of various types and drones at energy facilities in Ukraine. 58 “shaheeds” and 26 rockets were shot down.
At least three times, Russia hit gas storage facilities near Stryi with “daggers” capable of knocking down only PATRIOT systems.
Author of the photo, DSNS
Caption: An attack on Kharkiv in April killed three rescuers. Russia used a double strike tactic
At the beginning of April, Russia attacked Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia with ballistic missiles and Shaheds, killing four people each.
On April 6, there was a new attack by Russia on all regions of Ukraine with rockets and “shahedas”. At that time, as many as seven people died in Kharkiv.
As a result of the strikes on Mykolaiv, at least two people were killed. In the Kyiv region, the most powerful power plant – Trypil TPP, which supplied electricity to several neighboring regions, was destroyed.
In the Lviv region, rockets and drones then again attacked the gas distribution infrastructure and underground storage facilities near Stryi and an electric substation in the Chervonohrad district.
Author of the photo, Wikipedia
Caption: The authorities announced the destruction of the Trypilskaya TPP by the Russians on April 11
On the night of April 25, the Russians launched an “Iskander” missile at Smila in Cherkasy region, where the explosion damaged more than 40 buildings and a railway facility.
Before that, Russia launched massive combined missile strikes throughout the winter, but took a pause in massive shelling from February 15, continuing bloody pinpoint strikes on various cities in eastern and southern Ukraine.
However, in winter, Russia did not cause as much damage to energy as it did in the spring.
Author of the photo, Serhii Lysak
Photo caption, A destroyed building near the Dnipro station, April 19
