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Russia Hammers Ukraine’s Energy Grid With Mass Drones as Kyiv Unveils Interceptor Defense Shift

Ukraine is racing to restore power by rerouting electricity from western plants to hard-hit regions.

Overview

  • Ukraine reported 145 Shahed-type drones launched overnight on Jan. 19, with 126 intercepted, yet outages hit Sumy, Odesa, Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv and Chernihiv regions.
  • Energy facilities suffered heavy damage, including a DTEK site in Odesa that cut power to about 30,800 households, while missiles also struck critical infrastructure in Kharkiv.
  • Kyiv came under a fresh overnight ballistic missile attack on Jan. 20 during subzero temperatures, with explosions reported, at least one injury, and non-residential damage under assessment.
  • President Volodymyr Zelensky announced a transformed air-defense layer built around mobile groups using interceptor drones and named Pavlo Yelizarov deputy Air Force commander to drive the rollout.
  • Ukraine said it hit a Russian drone warehouse in occupied Novokrasnianka and confirmed damage to oil facilities in Tuapse and Belgorod, as forces held heavy ground fighting around Pokrovsk with dozens of assaults repelled daily.