Russia says preparing ‘massive strikes’ on Ukraine’s energy sector

MOSCOW

Police officers inspect the area, after a Russian attack struck a warehouse, followed by an explosion, in the village of Myla, Kiev region, Ukraine, Saturday, Aug. 29, 2026. (AP Photo)

Russia’s Defense Ministry said on Aug. 30 that it was gearing up for large-scale attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure in a tit-for-tat response to strikes by Kiev.

“Russian forces have begun preparations for massive strikes against facilities in Ukraine’s energy sector in response to the ongoing attacks by the Kiev regime on civilian infrastructure and on Russia’s oil and energy complex,” it said on Telegram.

Last winter, Moscow repeatedly hit Ukrainian power plants, devastating the country’s energy sector and plunging millions of people into cold and darkness in sub-zero temperatures.

Both sides have for several months escalated long-range strikes, targeting infrastructure such as warehouses, businesses, oil and port facilities, as well as ships, increasing civilian casualties.

On Aug. 30, the Russian army claimed to have struck a plant in Kiev producing asbestos and cement whose warehouses, it said, were used to store explosives, as well as a manufacturer of drones and munitions.

On Aug. 29, a Russian strike on an ammunition depot in the suburbs of the Ukrainian capital triggered a huge explosion and killed at least 37 people.

The attack was the second to hit a munitions depot near Kiev in less than two months, with officials expressing anger that arms were still being stored so close to residential areas.

“Those who allowed this to happen must be held accountable for their decisions. Ammunition cannot be stored near homes or other residential areas,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a post on X.

Ukraine for its part attacked an oil refinery with drones in northwestern Russia, causing a fire, according to the local authorities.