Ukraine's air force alerted residents of impending attacks on many fronts early on Wednesday morning. In Lviv in the west, warnings were issued about several cruise missiles and later about damage to two important facilities that are part of the power grid.
In total, at least 40 Russian rockets and 70 attack drones were fired into Ukraine, according to President Volodymyr Zelensky.
"Another major Russian attack. It's in the middle of winter and Russia's goal remains the same: our energy sector", writes Zelensky on social media, stating that at least 30 of the rockets were shot down.
Heard explosions
Russia also reports that the attack has taken place and claims that it was directed against Ukraine's gas and power grid.
"The attack's goal was achieved. All designated targets were hit", announces the Defense Ministry in Moscow, which usually does not announce any military setbacks.
Ukraine's air defense was activated in several places, but it is not yet clear what consequences the attacks had. The Ukrainian public service company Suspilne reports that explosions were heard in several regions. There are no reports of fatalities.
The military in Poland reports that its air force sent up planes in response to the Russian attacks, as several of them were allegedly directed against areas in western Ukraine.
On Wednesday morning, it was announced that President Zelensky is in Poland, where he is to meet with Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
Preventive outages
At 8 am, the authorities' warnings were lifted. Ukrainian authorities have shut off power in several regions as a precautionary measure.
On Tuesday, Ukraine attacked factories and power grids in Russia with large quantities of rockets and drones, in an attack that the Ukrainian military described as its most extensive so far against Russian territory. Fires were said to have broken out in many places, and Russia accused Ukraine of using advanced rockets provided by its allies in the West.
