Drone attacks cripple Ukrainian energy infrastructure

In a renewed escalation of the conflict with Russia, intense drone attacks took place on the Ukrainian industrial city of Kryvyi Rih, leading to a widespread power outage. Numerous households and industrial operations were affected by the sudden disruption of electricity supply, reported the company Ukrenerho. The population of the southeastern Dnipropetrovsk region had to manage without electricity for hours after a central facility was damaged. The danger to human life became tangible when it was revealed that two mines were affected by the power outage. In a dramatic situation, 100 workers were underground, all 113 of whom – including those not specifically identified for this incident – were later rescued and brought safely to the surface. Some relief was provided by the news that power supply had been fully restored by midday. Kryvyi Rih, the center of these critical events, is also known as the birthplace of the Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The overcoming of the crisis was also indicated by the effectiveness of the Ukrainian air defense, which reported having successfully intercepted over half of the 24 Russian drones. It became evident that the Russian armed forces were particularly targeting the destruction of strategically important infrastructures. The country has now been in a defensive struggle against Russia's offensive actions for nearly two years.