Russia launched a massive missile attack on ten regions of Ukraine.
“Difficult evening. Massive missile attack across the country. Kiev, Kirovograd region, Dnepropetrovsk region, Odessa region, Kharkiv region, Zaporizhzhia, Lviv region, Ivano-Frankivsk region, Zhytomyr region, of Vinnytsia. Attacks on critical infrastructure, residential buildings. Unfortunately, there are injuries and deaths. My condolences to the family,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on March 9 on the Telegram channel.
He explained that 81 rockets were fired. According to Zelenskyyy, Russia was trying “to intimidate the Ukrainians again by reverting to its pitiful tactics”.
“All services are working. The power grid is being restored. Restrictions applied in all regions. (…) The occupiers can only terrorize peaceful people. That’s all they can do. But that doesn’t stop them. will not help,” the Ukrainian leader said.
In connection with the Russian strikes on Ukrainian infrastructure, Zelenskyyy held a meeting attended by representatives of the National Security and Defense Council, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Security Service of Ukraine, ‘Ukroboronprom, the General Staff, the Main Intelligence Directorate and the SVRU.
“Thank you to our air defense forces for their important work, for the protection of our people! We must ensure the protection of the energy infrastructure from enemy bombardment and ensure the rapid restoration of power supply to the affected areas,” he stressed.
Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal noted on the Telegram channel that Russia’s main blow was directed at Ukraine’s energy system.
“They tried to destroy it again. And again they failed. The electrical system remains intact. In some regions, temporary power cuts are possible, as production and distribution facilities in eight regions have been damaged,” said the head of the Ukrainian government.
Shmyhal said that special attention was being paid to the return of electricity to Kharkiv, rocket attacks were also carried out on civilian infrastructure.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba tweeted that the massive missile and drone strike on Ukraine resulted in deaths and damage to civilian infrastructure.
“No military purpose, only Russian barbarism. The day will come when Putin and his associates will be held accountable before the Special Court,” stressed the head of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry.
According to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, a massive missile attack was carried out against the critical infrastructure of Ukraine. Among the missiles fired by Russian troops are 28 Kh-101/Kh-555 air-launched cruise missiles and 20 Kalibr sea-launched cruise missiles.
In addition, eight Shahed-136/131 strike drone launches were carried out.
Of the 48 X-101/X-555 and Caliber cruise missiles, 34 cruise missiles were destroyed, four Shahed-136/131 drones, eight Kh-31P and Kh-59 guided missiles failed to hit their targets.
The representative of the Ukrainian Air Force command, Yuriy Ignat, on the air telethon announced the new tactics of Russian missile strikes.
“The enemy used a wide range of weapons today – almost all the missiles with which they often strike separately, but today they decided to carry out a massive missile strike. This is done in order to disperse the ‘air defense attention,’ Ignat said.
According to him, Russia attacked Ukraine from three seas, using various types of aviation equipment, as well as ships of the Black Sea Fleet.
After the missile attack, due to emergency power cuts, 40% of consumers in the Ukrainian capital were left without heating. This was announced on the morning of March 9 by the mayor of Kiev, Vitali Klitschko. Without heating, there were inhabitants mainly in the central regions and on the left bank of the city.
On the evening of March 9, Klitschko announced the resumption of electricity supply; Utilities plan to fully restore heat supply within 24 hours.
According to the Ukrainian national police, Russia attacked the Svyatoshinsky and Goloseevsky districts of the capital. Three residents received the necessary medical assistance, as a result of the explosion, five cars were completely destroyed and fifteen others were damaged.
The head of the Kherson regional military administration, Alexander Prokudin, said that as a result of the shelling of Kherson, the number of casualties had risen to four, and another injured person was also known.
Kharkiv Mayor Igor Terekhov informed on the airwaves of the telethon that work was underway to restore the city’s heat supply.
“We are now working on the resumption of the heat supply. As for the water supply, it is now stopped, we deliver the water by water carriers. In all districts of Kharkiv, water carriers will be set up so that residents of the city can use water carriers,” Terekhov said.
He noted that all utilities are working, malls, stores have switched to generators.
Earlier it was reported that eleven missiles were fired at Kharkiv.
The head of the Kharkiv regional military administration, Oleg Sinegubov, announced in the afternoon on social networks that the electricity supply of 70% of consumers had been restored in the region.
In the Lviv region, as a result of a rocket attack, five people were killed – three men and two women, who were in one of the houses in the village of Velyka Olshanitsa, reports Suspilne.Lviv.
The Russian Defense Ministry called the night shelling of Ukraine a “retaliatory strike” for “sabotage” in the Bryansk region, Channel 24 reported. We are talking about the March 2 incident, when the Kremlin announced that an alleged “Ukrainian DRG” had “crossed” the border in the Bryansk region.
According to the Russian ministry, military and energy installations were bombed. The Russian Defense Ministry said hypersonic Kinzhal missiles were used for the strike.
“A massive retaliatory strike was inflicted by high-precision weapons in response to terrorist attacks in the Bryansk region. The aim of the retaliatory strike was achieved, all designated objects of the Ukrainian military infrastructure were hit, the transfer of reserves for the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the rail transport of foreign weapons were interrupted,” the official said. report, citing vesti.ua.
Political scientist Olesya Yakhno believes that the new massive rocket attack is Russia’s preemptive reaction to Ukraine’s spring counteroffensive.
“This missile attack is explained by tactical and strategic tasks. Ukraine should receive offensive types of weapons – tanks, armored vehicles, everything necessary for conducting offensive operations. Critical battles are also expected in the spring, when Ukraine, having received both air defense and offensive equipment, can switch to a counterattack. It is possible that even before the counteroffensive, Russia will try to test how well our air defense system works, how ready it is to repel attacks,” Yakhno stressed in an interview with a Russian service correspondent. media.
She also sees the massive Russian strike as an attempt to intimidate Ukraine and its people.
“This is already a standard Russian bombardment of Ukraine, all regions, infrastructure in response to the fact that Ukraine can demonstrate success in one or another sector of the front,” says the expert.
Bohdan Petrenko, deputy director of the Ukrainian Institute for the Study of Extremism, notes that before answering the question of why Russia again bombed Ukrainian infrastructure, one must understand why such a long pause was taken before.
“Here, there are two possibilities. The first – or we are talking about the logistical problems of the Russian army, the reduction in the number of missiles, the need to transport them to aircraft carriers from storage bases far from the conflict zone. Or is it a tactical move, the purpose of which is to lull the vigilance of the Ukrainian air defense, which should supposedly “believe” in the frequency of bombing, and then strike with what they have managed to accumulate”, Petrenko told the media’s Russian Service Correspondent.
He notes that if before there was a period of about two weeks between mass bombings, then this time it is almost a month.
“There has already been an opinion that with the change of leadership of the so-called ‘special operation in Ukraine’, Russia has decided that missile attacks on infrastructure are inappropriate,” Petrenko points out.
With rocket attacks on Ukraine’s infrastructure, he believes, Russia is trying to make the war costly not only for Ukraine, but also for the countries of Europe and the United States which support.
“Moscow continues to destroy the Ukrainian economy, one of the engines of which is energy. She is trying to make Kiev more and more financially dependent on Western aid. The Kremlin’s bet is simple – it expects the West to eventually get tired of supporting Ukraine, especially because of the supply of energy resources, ”explains the expert.
