Russia Pounds Ukraine’s Power Grid With Massive Drone and Missile Barrage

Overview

• Ukrainian officials say the assault is ongoing, with more than 400 drones and about 40 missiles used overnight, according to President Volodymyr Zelensky.
• Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal reports strikes on key substations, transmission lines, and the Dobrotvir and Burshtin power plants in the west.
• Grid operator Ukrenergo imposed emergency outages across most regions, leaving hundreds of thousands without electricity or heating in temperatures near minus 20 Celsius, with repairs to begin when conditions allow.
• Regional reports detail civilian harm in the south, including a couple killed in Vilniansk, a 14-year-old injured in Zaporizhzhia city, and an animal shelter destroyed with multiple dogs killed.
• US-mediated talks in Abu Dhabi recently secured a prisoner swap, and Zelensky says Washington seeks follow-up negotiations in the United States with a goal of ending the war by June.