Russia hits Ukrainian power grid with 332 drones and missiles, Zelensky calls it one of the largest strikes

Air defenses shot down or suppressed 293 targets, the military said. Impacts were recorded at 22 locations.

According to the Air Force, Iskander-M and KN-23 missiles were launched from the Voronezh and Rostov regions and occupied Crimea, Kh-22/32 missiles from Crimean airspace and four Kalibr missiles from Novorossiysk.

Ukraine's Energy Ministry said the power sector was hit in at least ten regions, leaving some consumers without electricity. Several regions introduced outage schedules, and capacity restrictions for industry and business affected all regions.

President Volodymyr Zelensky called the attack "one of the biggest strikes" on Ukraine's energy sector. He said more than 15 key electricity generation and transmission facilities were attacked. According to Zelensky, the most difficult situation was in Lutsk, Rivne, Zhytomyr, Vinnytsia, Shepetivka, Slavuta and Netishyn.

Ukrainian rescuers said Kherson was attacked with aerial bombs: ten multi-storey buildings were damaged. An ambulance driver was killed and 22 other people were injured, including three children. In Kharkiv, 15 people were injured, including three children. In Zaporizhzhia, three residential buildings were damaged and five people were wounded. In Sloviansk, one person was killed and ten injured.

Zelensky said Russia "is trying to stage a blackout in Ukraine right before winter." He also criticized Washington's decision not to impose sanctions provided for by the Lindsey Graham law, calling it "a complete ignoring" of a law that could have become an effective lever of pressure on Moscow.

A day earlier, the chief of the Russian General Staff, Valery Gerasimov, reported to Putin that the Russian army "has begun delivering massive strikes on Ukraine's energy facilities."

In early October, The New York Times published the Kremlin's strategy for "freezing" Ukraine, writing about preparations for strikes on power substations, water supply stations and three nuclear power plants. Schemes obtained a copy of the "Russian plan" from sources in Ukraine's Defense Forces.