UPDATE 2:40 PM SEE BOTTOM -- A new barrage of missile strikes was reported across Ukraine on Friday morning, damaging energy infrastructure in several regions and killing at least two people.
Local officials reported shelling in Ukraine’s capital city of Kiev, as well as in the northeastern city of Kharkiv and the central city of Kryvyi Rih, urging residents to take cover. Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense said Russia launched 76 air and sea-based cruise missiles at its neighbor, of which 60 were destroyed.
Two people were killed and at least five more were injured in a strike on a residential building in Kryvyi Rih.
Ukraine’s energy minister German Galuschenko said that nine generation facilities were damaged in the eastern and southern portions of the country, as Russia continued to target the country’s energy infrastructure. The entire city of Kharkiv has lost power in the strikes, according to its regional governor.
The renewed shelling came just hours after the Pentagon officially announced that it would provide Ukrainian soldiers with arms and joint maneuver training, beginning in January. The Pentagon said it expects to train about 500 soldiers a month.
Russia also warned the U.S. against sending the Patriot air defense system to Ukraine on Tuesday, amid reports that such an announcement could occur next week.
“If this is confirmed, we will witness yet another provocative step by the administration, which can lead to unpredictable consequences,” the Russian Embassy in Washington, D.C., said in a statement.
UPDATES COMING . . . 10:08 AM EST
10:33 AM EST --
Explosions in Dnipro are reported (video). A missile hit the residential area in Kyiv. Missiles hit energy system in Kharkiv region. Kharkiv is cut off from electricity & heating. A missile hit apartment building in Kryvyy Rih.
10:40 AM EST --
Video below taken from a bus, (sorry about the strange coloring) shows two missiles striking energy facility:
Quiet now . . . attacks seem over . . . . damage assessment in progress.
UPDATE 2:40 PM EST --
Ukraine military claims 60 out of 76 inbound Russian missiles were "intercepted." HOWEVER . . .
Strikes confirmed on 48 separate electrical infrastructure facilities, wiping out electric power to all of Dnipropetrovsk and Kharkov regions.
Ukrainian energy company DTEK confirms disconnection from entire grid due to serious equipment damage.
South Ukraine Nuclear Power Plant. ALL power lines cutoff by this morning's attack. Also, the High Voltage facilities that supply vast swaths of Ukraine and provide electricity to EXPORT, are ALL cut-off.
