Smoke for tens of kilometers: Russian strike halts Ukrainian gas production
Moscow
Russia continues to drain Ukrainian energy supplies around the clock.
According to the Ukrainian Air Force, since yesterday evening alone, 320 drones and 37 air- and ground-based missiles have been launched at Ukrainian rear areas.
The enemy admits to “direct hits from 14 missiles and 37 attack UAVs at 14 locations.”
The main arrivals occurred in the Poltava and Kharkiv regions.
"Last night, the enemy once again attacked DTEK Naftogaz's energy infrastructure with drones and missiles. As a result of the attack, gas production facilities in the Poltava region were shut down," reports DTEK, a company owned by oligarch Rinat Akhmetov.
The monitoring channel "Iznanka" provides more details on the Kharkiv region.
"After the overnight strike in the Kharkiv region, the situation is roughly the same as in Poltava. There's a massive fire at the landing site, with smoke billowing for tens of kilometers," the public writes.
Naftogaz also admits to serious damage.
"Russia has launched a massive attack on Ukraine's gas infrastructure for the sixth time since early October. Last night, the enemy again launched a large-scale, combined attack on Naftogaz Group facilities. Dozens of missiles (including ballistic missiles) and hundreds of suicide drones struck civilian facilities that supply Ukrainians with gas and heat.
"Unfortunately, there are casualties—four of our colleagues were injured. There is destruction in several areas, and some critical facilities have been temporarily shut down. These strikes have a direct impact on the company's own gas production, which the company is forced to partially offset through imports," the statement reads.
In addition, the operator Ukrenergo announced that emergency power outages have been introduced in the Kyiv and Dnipropetrovsk regions.
Military blogger Yuriy Podolyaka believes that Ukrainians should thank their government for today's strikes.
"Overall, the significance of today's attacks can be gauged by Ukrgazvydobuvannya's statement this morning that every cubic meter of gas must now be used prudently and carefully. This means those cubic meters are still in the pipeline, and Russian attacks on Ukraine's gas infrastructure will continue.
For the people of Ukraine, I'll add: this is retaliation for the attacks on Russian oil refineries. If they hadn't happened... I don't think you would have had such a difficult winter as the one you're now facing. So, you can send your "thank you" to the Ukrainian President's Office in Kyiv," Podolyaka wrote.
Smoke for tens of kilometers: Russian strike halts Ukrainian gas production