Events of day 1009 (Friday 29 November 2024):
● Russia unleashed its second major attack this month on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, triggering severe power cuts that affected at least one million people across three western regions. The attacks cut power to 523,000 consumers in the Lviv region, 215,000 in the Volyn region and 280,000 in the Rivne region, regional governors reported.
● Ukraine’s air force said Russia used 91 missiles and 97 drones in the attack, with 12 hitting their targets, most of which were energy and fuel facilities.
● President Vladimir Putin said Moscow had struck in response to Ukraine’s attacks on Russian territory with US medium-range ATACMS missiles. He warned future targets could include “decision-making centres” in Kyiv using its new Oreshnik hypersonic missile – which Moscow claims is incapable of being intercepted.
● Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia of a “despicable escalation”, saying it had used cruise missiles with cluster munitions in the attack. Zelenskyy said he was speaking to Western leaders – including NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz – to forge a response to the Russian attempt to “drag out the war”.
● US President Joe Biden labelled Moscow’s attack “outrageous”, saying it serves as “another reminder of the urgency and importance of supporting the Ukrainian people in their defence against Russian aggression”.
● Russian air defences destroyed or downed 30 Ukrainian drones in the southern Rostov region early on Friday, Regional Governor Yuri Slyusar said.
● Fragments from downed Russian drones struck buildings in two Kyiv districts and injured one person late on Thursday, officials said.
● Explosions were heard in Odesa on Thursday morning amid reports of a cruise missile attack in the Ukrainian Black Sea port city.