Ukraine war: Kyiv ‘ran out of missiles’ to stop Russian strike from ruining power station

Destroyed in by Russian strike, the Trypilska thermal power plant was the largest energy facility near Kyiv and was built to have a capacity of 1,800 megawatts, more than the pre-war needs of Ukraine’s biggest city. Other stations and imports have filled the gap for now, but residents have been urged to save power.

Russia has stepped up combined missile and drone strikes targeting Ukraine’s grid system since mid-March. It is the second concerted Russian attack on the energy system since Russian forces invaded Ukraine more than two years ago and has proven much more devastating than the first one.

In recent attacks, Ukraine lost about 7 gigawatts of power generating capacity, with major thermal power plants and transmitting capabilities significantly damaged.

Moscow says the strikes are aimed at degrading Ukraine’s ability to fight and are in retaliation for recent attacks inside Russia.

Western allies have been reluctant to send additional air defences to Ukraine, which says it needs 25 Patriot systems to cover its territory properly. Germany has pledged to deliver another system following urgent calls from Kyiv.