Russia on Wednesday launched a major ballistic and cruise missile attack on regions across Ukraine, targeting energy production and compelling authorities to shut down the power grid in some areas despite freezing winter weather,

Russia launched a new barrage of missiles and drones at Ukraine on Wednesday, targeting gas infrastructure and other energy facilities in western regions in the latest strike on the country's hobbled power system as it approaches mid-winter.

Russia’s military on Tuesday said it would retaliate against Ukraine after Kyiv attacked Russian regions by firing six US-made ATACMS ballistic missiles, six UK-made Storm Shadow cruise missiles and launching one of the biggest drone attacks to date.

The scale of the assault on Wednesday was not immediately clear, but Ukraine’s energy minister called it “massive.”

Ukrainian forces used missiles and drones on Tuesday to target sensitive military and energy sites across Russia.

Authorities in western Ukraine said early Wednesday that critical infrastructure was targeted in a Russian missile attack after air alerts sounded across the country. The airstrikes came a day after Ukraine said it had carried out its largest aerial attack on Russian territory since Moscow's February 2022 invasion,

The enemy attacked the energy infrastructure of our region and Ukraine. Emergency blackouts have been introduced in six oblasts, but Lviv is not among them yet,” he wrote, confirming earlier reports that enemy cruise missiles had been seen flying toward western Ukraine.

Critical infrastructure facilities have been hit in two districts of Lviv Oblast as a result of a massive Russian missile attack. Source: Maksym Kozytskyi, Head of Lviv Oblast Military Administration,