War

One thousand three hundred and ninety-ninth day. Massive attack of the Russian Federation on the energy system of Ukraine: three regions were almost completely left without electricity

Since February 24, 2022, Meduza has been broadcasting live about the Russian-Ukrainian war. We publish your letters in our daily materials because we are sure that we need to continue talking about the war. Share with us the thoughts you have about the war. What feelings are you experiencing? How does war affect you, your life, the lives of your loved ones and your attitude towards the world? The feedback form is at the end of this article. A review of the previous day can be read here .

Ukraine

The Russian military launched a massive attack on Ukrainian territory at night, using missiles and drones. In total, more than a dozen regions were under attack. According to the Air Force of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the attack involved 635 drones of various types, 35 Kh-101 and Iskander-K cruise missiles, as well as three Kinzhal missiles. 30 hits were recorded throughout the country.

The main target of the attack was the power grid. The Ministry of Energy of Ukraine reported that this is the ninth such major attack since the beginning of 2025.

Prime Minister of Ukraine Yulia Sviridenko reported that energy facilities in the western regions of the country suffered the most.

According to the Ministry of Energy, as a result of the attack, the Rivne, Ternopil and Khmelnytsky regions were almost completely cut off from power. Consumers in Vinnitsa, Odessa, Chernigov, Zhytomyr, Donetsk, Dnepropetrovsk and Kharkov regions were left partially without electricity. Throughout the country, even in those regions that were not affected by the attack, unscheduled blackouts were introduced.

According to reports from regional authorities, at least three people were killed.

• In Kyiv, as a result of falling drone debris, a five-story building was damaged and five people were injured.
• In the Kyiv region, a woman died and three more people were injured.
• In the Zhytomyr region, residential buildings and a store were damaged, a child born in 2021 was killed, and five more people were injured.
• In the Khmelnitsky region in the city of Shchepetivka, a series of fires occurred, one person died.

In connection with the attack, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky called on the international community to increase pressure on Russia.

This Russian strike sends an extremely clear signal of Russian priorities. The blow before Christmas, when people just want to be with their loved ones, at home, safe. The strike is actually in the midst of negotiations that are underway to end this war.

The Russian Ministry of Defense confirmed a massive air attack. According to the department, this was a “high-precision weapon strike”, the targets of which were military-industrial complex enterprises and energy facilities that ensure their operation.

Since the beginning of December, this is at least the fourth massive attack by the Russian army, the target of which is the Ukrainian energy system. On December 6, six regions were hit, and on December 13, nine. On December 18, strikes were carried out in five regions, leaving more than 180 thousand houses without electricity.

War in photographs. Consequences of the Russian strike

War through the eyes of Meduza readers

How we choose letters

Meduza's readers live in different countries and have different attitudes towards the war. We publish your letters to see this event through your eyes. Our editors try to present all points of view, even if they do not coincide with the editorial position. However, in accordance with the Meduza code, we do not publish messages that contain “hate speech,” justify the murder of civilians, or express direct support for an aggressive war.

Senya (Moscow) . Someday this war will end. But our old life will never return.

Since the beginning of the war, my relations with most of my relatives have deteriorated terribly. I was simply disappointed in almost all of them. I don’t know how it is possible that the people who taught me good and evil from childhood ended up on the wrong side. They constantly watch TV and believe everything they are told. I constantly hear phrases from them that Russia cannot live without Putin.

But the worst thing is that, probably due to constant watching of TV and these old men in jackets, they became very angry. It is impossible to talk to them normally, they hate everyone. And how to live with it after? Will our relationship ever improve? Will they realize that they were simply brainwashed and were wrong?

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