Russia has launched 120 missiles and 90 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in a large-scale attack across Ukraine, targeting the country's energy infrastructure, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on November 17.
Russia has deployed various types of drones, including Shaheds, cruise missiles, ballistic missiles and air-launched ballistic missiles, Zelensky said.
In a Telegram message, President Zelensky confirmed that Ukrainian defense forces shot down 140 air targets.
According to the head of the Kiev City Military Administration Serhii Popko, the combined Russian drone and missile attack was the most powerful in the past three months. Russia's target was energy infrastructure across Ukraine.
"In Mykolaiv, as a result of a drone strike, two people died and six others were injured, including two children," he said.
Russian airstrikes have affected Ukraine's electricity production since the conflict broke out in February 2022, causing continuous emergency power cuts and rolling blackouts across the country.
Ukrainian officials have regularly called on Western allies to help the country bolster its air defenses to counter attacks on Russian energy infrastructure and give it enough time to repair attacked facilities.
Ukrainian media reported explosions across Ukraine on November 17, including in the capital Kiev, the key southern port of Odessa, and parts of western and central Ukraine.
