On 17/2, Russia launched an attack on Ukraine using 396 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) of various types, along with 4 Iskander-M ballistic missiles, 20 Kh-101 cruise missiles, 4 Iskander-K missiles, and one Kh-59/69 tactical cruise missile, according to the Ukrainian Air Force Command.
"Air defense units shot down 367 UAVs, 20 Kh-101 missiles, 4 Iskander-K missiles, and the Kh-59/69 missile. However, 4 Iskander-M ballistic missiles and 18 UAVs hit 13 locations, with debris falling on 8 sites," the Ukrainian Air Force Command stated.
The Russian Ministry of Defense has not yet released information regarding the strike.
AMK Mapping, an X account specializing in tracking open-source intelligence data on the conflict, reported that on the same day, the 330 kV Hirnycha substation on the outskirts of Kryvyi Rih city, Dnipropetrovsk province, was hit by an Iskander-M missile carrying cluster munitions. The strike ignited a large fire at the facility.
"The last missiles hit the 750 kV Zakhidnoukrainska substation in Lviv province," AMK Mapping added, without specifying related damages.
According to AMK Mapping, at least 20 Russian UAVs targeted Odessa city, with many aimed at the 110 kV Tairovo substation in Odessa. DTEK, Ukraine's largest private power company, announced that the Russian strike "caused severe damage to the power supply infrastructure for Odessa city, and repairs will take a long time."
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Flight paths of Russian missiles and UAVs during the 17/2 attack. Graphic: X/Monitor War |
The Russian Ministry of Defense also announced on the same day that its air defenses shot down 151 Ukrainian fixed-wing UAVs, including nearly 80 over the Black Sea and Azov Sea, 38 aircraft over the Crimea peninsula, and 18 UAVs in the Krasnodar region.
Krasnodar officials reported that a fire broke out at the Ilsky oil refinery after the attack. A fuel storage tank at the facility was also damaged.
These strikes occurred ahead of US-mediated negotiations between Russia and Ukraine on 17-18/2 in Geneva, Switzerland. Two previous rounds of discussions in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE), did not yield results.
Both sides declared the negotiations effective, yet remain far apart on the key issue of territory. Russia maintains its demand for Ukraine to make major concessions on territorial and political matters, which Kiev has repeatedly rejected.
Beyond territorial disputes, Russia and Ukraine also have deep disagreements over control of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, as well as the potential presence of Western forces in Ukraine after the conflict ends.
Nguyen Tien (According to AFP, AP, Reuters)
