​Exchange of Blows: russia Targets Thermal Power Plant, Ukraine Strikes Oil Refineries

Overnight April 27th, the russian federation carried out another long-range missile attack. A wide range of weapons were deployed by Tu-95MS strategic bombers, four MiG-31K fighters, two submarines in the Black Sea, frontline bombers, Iskander SRBM systems, as well as quasi-ballistic strikes by russian S-300 systems on the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv.

Read more: ​russian Airbase Hit: the UMPK Kits Warehouse Destroyed, Air Traffic Control Building Damaged, Aircraft Possibly Affected

According to a follow-up report from the Ukrainian Air Force Command, the totality of weapons used by russians this time amounts to:

• 9 Kh-101/Kh-555 cruise missiles, 6 were shot down
• 8 Kalibr cruise missiles, 6 shot down
• 2 R-500 cruise missiles from Iskander short-range missile systems, 1 shot down
• 9 Kh-59/Kh-69 cruise missiles, 8 shot down
• 4 Kh-47M2 Kinzhal air-launched ballistic missiles
• 2 unidentified anti-aircraft missiles from S-300 surface-to-air system

According to the Minister of Energy of Ukraine Herman Halushchenko, the attack targeted power supply infrastructure in Dnipropetrovsk, Ivano-Frankivsk, and Lviv regions. State electricity distribution operator DTEK clarifies that four thermal power plants were affected, there are victims and seriously damaged equipment. In Kharkiv, the russian forces unsuccessfully tried to hit a medical facility, as reported by the mayor of the city, Ihor Terekhov.

Coincidentally, on the same night, the Ukrainian Defense Forces launched an air attack of its own. Oil refineries located in the Krasnodar Krai of russia were struck by explosive unmanned aerial vehicles. There are reports about hits landing on the Ilsky refinery in the city of Ilsk and Slavyansk-ECO in Slavyansk-on-Kuban. Both have already been attacked by Ukrainians before, for example, Slavyansk-ECO was hit on March 17th, 2024. The repeated strikes seem to be connected to the russian efforts to get them up and running again.

Also, russian sources report that the airfield in the town of Kushchyovskaya, Krasnodar Krai, came under attack. The russian Ministry of Defense claims that 68 drones were intercepted and the attack overall was repelled. However, the photographs and videos in the open domain indicate damage to the air base.

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