Russian drone and missile strikes and bombing raids hit targets across Ukraine overnight, killing one person and injuring seven and damaging residential districts and critical infrastructure, including at least three power stations. File Photo courtesy of National Police of Ukraine/EPA-EFE
March 29 (UPI) -- Russian drone and missile strikes and bombing raids hit targets across Ukraine overnight, killing one person, injuring seven and damaging residential districts, as well as critical infrastructure, including at least three power stations.
A man died and another was seriously injured in Nikopol southeast of Zaporizhzhia after the car they were in was struck by an attack drone. Five civilians, including a 5-year-old girl, were hurt at a housing cooperative in Kamianske, 20 miles west of the regional capital Dnipro, where blasts were also heard, Serhii Lysak, the governor of Dnipro province said on social media.
"Several energy facilities were damaged in Dnipro, Kryvyi Rih and Kamian districts. A man was injured at one of them. He received the necessary medical assistance and will recover at home," Lysak wrote.
He said air defenses had downed 12 missiles and 12 drones above Kryvorizky, Pavlograd, Novomoskovsk and Kamian districts -- but Nikopol was being bombarded by artillery fire that began early Friday and was ongoing.
The Ivano-Frankivsk and Lviv provinces at the other end of the country, which border Romania and Poland, were also targeted by Tu-95 "Bear" strategic bombers from Murmansk, MiG-31K fighter jets from Novgorod and ballistic missiles launched from occupied Crimea, the Air Force said, prompting Poland's Armed Forces Operational Command (RSZ) to place its NATO-backed air force on high alert.
"Please note that Polish and allied aircraft are operating in Polish airspace, which may result in increased noise levels, especially in the southeastern part of the country. Tonight, intense long-range aviation activity of the Russian Federation is being observed, related to missile strikes against objects located on the territory of Ukraine," RSZ said in a post on X.
"All necessary procedures to ensure the safety of Polish airspace have been launched, and RSZ General Command is monitoring the situation on an ongoing basis."
Explosions were also reported in the central Ukrainian city of Khmelnytskyi, 200 miles southwest of Kyiv.
DTEK, Ukraine's largest private energy company, said the "massive" overnight attacks had seriously damaged equipment at three of its thermal [non-nuclear] power plants, injuring one staff member.
"The DTEK employee injured received necessary assistance promptly and will continue treatment at home," the company said in a news release which did not state the names or locations of the power stations affected.
"DTEK teams are working to restore operations."
The company noted Friday's attacks came exactly one week after another "huge Russian missile and drone assault on Ukraine's energy infrastructure."
That attack saw at least 150 rockets and attack drones unleashed against mainly power infrastructure targets across the country, knocking out power to more than a million people and killing two and injuring 14.
Dozens of the projectiles evaded air defenses hitting targets in Kharkiv, Kryvyi Rih and Zaporizhzhia, where the Dnipro Hydroelectric Station was set ablaze, blacking out factories and homes in Donets-Kryvyi Rih region.
On Monday, a drone raid on Ukraine's southwest coastal region forced DTEK to implement "emergency shutdowns" in Odessa and surrounding areas.
