Russia launches massive drone and missile attack on Ukraine, targeting energy infrastructure
Russia launched a massive overnight attack on Ukraine on November 3 using 289 drones, 17 ballistic missiles and 59 cruise missiles. Energy facilities, including three DTEK thermal power plants and a substation critical to the Khmelnytskyi Nuclear Power Plant, were targeted. Ukrainian air defenses reported neutralizing 309 aerial targets, while emergency power cuts disrupted water supply and public transport in Kyiv and other regions.
أبرز النقاط
- Russia used 289 drones, 17 ballistic missiles and 59 cruise missiles in the attack.
- Three DTEK thermal power plants were seriously damaged and stopped generating electricity.
- Three drones targeted a substation described as critical to the stable operation of the Khmelnytskyi Nuclear Power Plant.
- Ukraine informed the IAEA about the attack on the substation and the resulting nuclear-safety concerns.
- Ukrainian air defenses reported shooting down or suppressing 309 targets: 3 ballistic missiles, about 49 cruise missiles and 257 drones.
- Emergency electricity cuts were introduced in Kyiv, Kyiv region and Dnipropetrovsk region.
- A strike on a Kharkiv hospital injured 73 people; one person was killed and 17 injured in Dnipro.
لماذا يهمّ ذلك
The strike directly threatened infrastructure supporting the stable operation of a nuclear power plant, leading Ukraine to notify the IAEA and describe the danger as extending to nuclear safety across Europe. The scale of the attack also caused emergency electricity outages, temporary disruption of water supply and public transport, and major damage to electricity-generation facilities before winter.
ماذا حدث
Beginning at 18:00 on November 2, Russia attacked Ukraine in successive waves with 289 drones, 17 ballistic missiles and 59 cruise missiles. The principal targets were power plants, substations and other critical infrastructure. Three DTEK thermal power plants were hit with dozens of missiles and drones, seriously damaged and forced to halt electricity generation; workers were not harmed. Three drones were directed at a substation considered critical to the stable operation of the Khmelnytskyi Nuclear Power Plant. By 09:00 on November 3, Ukrainian air defenses reported neutralizing 309 targets, including three ballistic missiles, about 49 cruise missiles and 257 drones, 89 of them reactive. Impacts were recorded at 23 locations and debris at 14. Emergency power cuts affected Kyiv, Kyiv region and Dnipropetrovsk region, leaving Kyiv temporarily without water and disrupting public transport. The attack also damaged hospitals, homes, industrial facilities, railway infrastructure and substations in multiple regions. One person was killed and 17 injured in Dnipro, while 73 people were injured at a Kharkiv hospital.
كيف تصفه المصادر الأوكرانية
Ukrainian officials and media emphasized the attack on the substation supporting the Khmelnytskyi Nuclear Power Plant, the resulting European nuclear-safety implications and Ukraine's notification of the IAEA. They also highlighted damage to power plants and substations, emergency electricity restrictions and disruptions to water and transport, while seeking a stronger response from international partners.
كيف تصفه المصادر الدولية
The attack highlighted the vulnerability of energy systems and nuclear-power-supporting infrastructure in Ukraine, as well as the broader European security implications of continued attacks on civilian energy facilities. Ukraine called on the United States and other partners to assist with air defense and respond to further escalation.
الخلفية
The attack followed repeated Russian strikes on Ukrainian energy facilities. Ukrainian air forces said that 309 aerial targets were intercepted or suppressed from the evening of November 2, and energy infrastructure was attacked in at least ten regions. Three DTEK thermal power plants were heavily damaged and stopped generating electricity, while an important substation supporting the Khmelnytskyi Nuclear Power Plant was targeted.