Russia attacks Ukrainian electricity and gas facilities amid widespread attacks

Russia has released a fierce bombing to target key Ukrainian infrastructure on Thursday overnight and Friday, as fears that the U.S. decision to withhold intelligence aid could make Ukraine more vulnerable.

Ukraine's energy minister, Germany's Galushchenko, said Russian troops launched “massive missile and drone” attacks on power and gas facilities across the country.

The Ukrainian Air Force reported that Russia sent 261 attack vehicles – 67 missiles of various types and 194 drones, some of which were equipped with virtual warheads to confuse them and overwhelm the air defense personnel.

The Air Force said Ukraine shot down or disabled most of the attack drones, but destroyed only 35 of the 67 missiles. The Air Force said the other ten missiles did not reach their target.

The Air Force said the French Mirage-2000 fighter jet that arrived in Ukraine a month ago joined the F-16 sky for the first time.

The bombing came just days after the U.S. said it was suspending intelligence sharing with Kiev, Ukrainian officials and analysts said it could undermine Ukraine's ability to detect and defend against Russian bombing.

U.S. intelligence gathered from a complex satellite network. U.S. intelligence companies contributed to Ukraine’s early warning system, giving millions of civilians valuable time to seek shelter and providing air defense teams with important information they need to try to intercept inbound missiles and drones.

Russia will try to exploit Ukraine's vulnerability by strengthening drone and missile strikes, warning that it is the Washington think tank War Institute.

Throughout the war, the percentage of Ukrainian missiles has been destroyed in mass bombings, which is usually related to the speed of delivery of the air defense systems of Western allies.

Ukrainian officials have not commented on the impact on the suspension of intelligence sharing in defense of the latest bombings.

Russia has been engaged in a ruthless campaign to undermine Ukraine's infrastructure for more than three years, a strategy designed to lower services such as water and electricity and to frustrate the Ukrainian public.

Moscow has destroyed power plants in the country, strengthening attacks on oil and gas facilities. NAFTOGAZ Group, the largest national oil and gas company in Ukraine, said the overnight attack was the 17th attack against its facilities during the war.

“We are doing it and will continue to do everything we can to ensure that the country has gasoline,” Roman Chumak, head of the company, said in a statement. “The process of handling the consequences of the attack and evaluating the damage is underway.”

The Russian attacks were also aimed at weakening the U.S. industrial capacity, which undermined Kiev's efforts to expand its own domestic arms production.

With the United States withheld military support, Ukraine's domestic production has greater significance. The Ukrainian government said that despite constant pressure, Ukrainian weapons manufacturers now provide 40% of all equipment soldiers use in front.

The Ukrainian government has not commented on the successful strike of military goals.

Major General Vadym Skibitskyi, deputy director of the Ukrainian Military Intelligence Agency, told the Ukrainian media that the Russians' “one of the priorities” will be “our defense industrial enterprises, manufacturing weapons, we have added many types of weapons, weapons, drones and systems production.”

While the Trump administration is aligned with the Kremlin, the pressure on Kiev is growing.

Ukrainians and many Western analysts warned that Trump's policy would not lead to peace, but would only incite the Kremlin, saying it would only stop its invasion on its own terms. The European Ukrainians and their allies believed that these terms were equal to Ukraine's total surrender.

“These Trump administration policies undermine the need for the U.S. to embrace Russian President Vladimir Putin's leverage to any peace agreement that is in line with the interests of the U.S., Ukraine and Europe,” ISW said.

Senior U.S. and Ukrainian officials plan to meet in Saudi Arabia next week to discuss a possible way to end the war.

DTEK, a famous Ukrainian power company, said in a statement that the port city of Odessa, in southern Ukraine, was hit for the fourth consecutive night in amid the latest Russian bombing.

In Kharkif, about 25 miles from the Russian border in eastern Ukraine, Mayor Ikhor Terekov said rescuers were competing and burned flames after the apartment was damaged by a strike against critical infrastructure.

“Rescuers pulled a woman out of the rubble – she was still alive and was currently being examined by doctors,” he said. “Search and rescue operations are underway.”

At least eight people were injured, he said.

Nataliia Novosolova Contribution report.