BRAKING NEWS Russia launches deadly overnight aerial

Russia executed a large-scale attack on Ukraine's energy infrastructure, employing a barrage of missiles and drones that resulted in fatalities and power disruptions across multiple major cities. The Ukrainian Air Force reported intercepting numerous projectiles and drones targeting various regions, including Kharkiv, Dnipro, Odesa, and Kyiv. Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal detailed that at least 15 regions were hit by a mix of drones, cruise missiles, and hypersonic Kinzhal missiles, prompting Ukrenergo, Ukraine's national energy company, to implement emergency power cuts to stabilize the grid.

This assault follows weeks of anticipation by Ukraine of a major Russian offensive, particularly in the wake of a Ukrainian incursion into Russia's Kursk region and heightened warnings from the US Embassy in Kyiv of potential Russian attacks around Ukraine's Independence Day. The attack also comes after Kyiv urged Belarus to de-escalate a significant military buildup on their shared border, warning against aligning with Moscow's aggressive stance. Over the course of the conflict, Russia has persistently targeted Ukraine's energy sector, weaponizing the harsh winter conditions as a means of warfare. The Ukrainian Energy Minister, Herman Halushchenko, stated that the energy sector remains a primary target, with an ongoing assessment of the damage inflicted by the latest assault.
Ukrainian authorities have reported deaths in the Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhia, Volyn, and Zhytomyr regions. At least five people were injured in the Poltava region when an artificial installation was hit. Explosions were heard in Kyiv and Dnipro, with air defenses activated in the capital. Emergency services were working on targeted spots in Kharkiv. Despite receiving military aid from Western allies, Ukraine is restricted from using the munitions to strike deep inside Russia, relying on air defenses to counter Moscow's attacks.
Ukrainian officials have requested permission to conduct long-range strikes on Russian territory and to use allies' air defense systems to shoot down missiles and drones near their airspace. This follows a Russian strike on a hotel in the Donetsk region that killed a British safety consultant and wounded two journalists. Ryan Evans, a former soldier who had been advising Reuters on safety since 2022, was among the cas