Romania sends Patriot system to Ukraine while Russia bombs its power grid | News on the Russia-Ukraine war

The NATO member’s donation came after Ukraine repeatedly called on its allies to strengthen their air defenses.

NATO member Romania has announced it will send a Patriot missile system to Ukraine. Ukraine has repeatedly called on its allies to increase their air defense support as Russia attacks its energy infrastructure.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said last week that Russia had destroyed half of Ukraine’s electricity generation capacity and needed seven Patriot missile systems and other air defense systems to protect Ukraine’s urban centers.

“In view of the significant deterioration of the security situation in Ukraine, the Council members, in close coordination with the Allies, have decided to donate a Patriot system to Ukraine,” Romania’s Supreme Defense Council said in a statement on Thursday.

Zelenskyj thanked Romania and wrote on X: “This crucial contribution will strengthen our air shield and help us better protect our population and our critical infrastructure from Russian air terror.”

I am grateful to Romania and the President @KlausIohannis for the decision to supply Ukraine with another Patriot air defense system.

This crucial contribution will strengthen our air shield and help us better protect our population and critical infrastructure from the Russian attack.

— Volodymyr Zelenskyy (@ZelenskyyUa) 20 June 2024

In an effort to limit each other’s ability to fight in the war that has now lasted three years, Russia has resumed its air attacks on the Ukrainian power grid. Kyiv forces have also again targeted Russian oil facilities with cross-border drone attacks, officials said on Thursday.

Russia fired nine missiles and 27 Shahed drones at energy facilities and critical infrastructure in central and eastern Ukraine, the Ukrainian Air Force said. Air defenses intercepted all drones and five cruise missiles, it said.

The attack hit power plants in the Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Dnipropetrovsk, Kyiv and Vinnytsia and caused “significant damage”, according to the national energy company Ukrenergo. Seven workers were injured, it said.

Ukrenergo announced extended nationwide power outages, even though the company received electricity imports and emergency aid from European countries.

The private energy company DTEK said one of its power plants was hit in the night-time attack, but did not give any information about the exact location.

Three of the company’s employees were injured and the plant’s equipment was severely damaged, DTEK said on social media.

Attacks on Russia

Meanwhile, in Russia, authorities in two regions reported fires at oil storage facilities following drone attacks, two days after a Ukrainian attack sparked a major fire at another refinery.

The nighttime drone attacks were carried out by the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU), a Kyiv security official told the Associated Press news agency.

The attacks sparked fires at facilities that process and store crude oil and its derivatives to supply the Russian army, the official said.

The head of Russia’s Adygea region, Murat Kumpilov, said a Ukrainian drone attack sparked a fire at an oil depot in the town of Enem, which was later extinguished.

The governor of the Tambov region, Maxim Yegorov, said an oil reservoir at an oil depot there had been set on fire.

Krasnodar Governor Veniamin Kondratiev said a drone hit a private house in the city of Slavyansk, killing a woman.

The Russian Defense Ministry said air defenses had shot down 15 Ukrainian drones over three regions, but did not mention any damage.

The ministry said it had shot down more than 26,000 Ukrainian drones since the war began.