Russia strikes Ukraine's energy grid, forcing emergency shutdowns

Editor’s note: This is a developing story and is being updated.

Russia launched an aerial strike against Ukraine’s power grid overnight on Feb. 11, forcing the country’s energy operator to implement emergency power outages, Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko said.

The attack, which included strikes on gas infrastructure overnight and continued into the morning, has further strained Ukraine’s energy grid.

“At night, Russia attacked gas infrastructure. As of this morning, the energy sector is still under attack,” Halushchenko said.

Russian forces reportedly launched cruise missiles from the Black Sea overnight, triggering air alerts in Kyiv and several oblasts.

The full consequences of the attack are being determined.

Russia has repeatedly targeted Ukraine’s energy infrastructure since the start of its full-scale invasion, aiming to disrupt power supplies and weaken civilian morale.

Drone strike reportedly targets Russia’s key Saratov oil refinery

“The Saratov Oil Refinery is one of the key facilities in Russia’s fuel infrastructure. Its refining capacity reaches 7 million tons of oil annually,” Andrii Kovalenko, head of Ukraine’s Center for Countering Disinformation, said.

The Kyiv IndependentTim Zadorozhnyy