Main points
- The winter of 2026 was a difficult test for Ukraine's air defense system, which repelled 14 massive attacks on the energy sector.
- Over 700 missiles were fired over a three-month period, with the highest number of attacks recorded in February.
During the winter, the Russians used over 700 missiles of various types / Photo: Depositphotos (illustrative)
The winter of 2026 was one of the most difficult tests for Ukraine's air defense system. Russian forces used an unprecedented number of missiles and drones to attack critical infrastructure.
This was reported by the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
How did the enemy try to destroy the energy sector?
During this winter, the Air Force, in cooperation with the Defense Forces of Ukraine, repelled 14 massive combined enemy attacks.
In particular, in December-January, the Russians carried out 7 massive strikes using missiles and drones of various types. During February, the intensity of the attacks doubled – Ukraine withstood another seven large-scale attacks.
The enemy combined launches of strike UAVs and missiles of various types, trying to complicate the air situation, overload the air defense system, and exhaust resources.
– reported the Air Force.
- December 2025
Russian forces launched one of the largest strikes of the entire period of the full-scale war on December 6, the Day of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Then the enemy used 704 air attack weapons, including 51 missiles.
Subsequent attacks on December 13, 23, and 27 also maintained an extremely high level of load – from almost 500 to over 670 air targets were recorded in the skies over Ukraine.
- January 2026
This month was a period of intensive use of ballistics. On January 9, the main strike was focused on the Kyiv region (278 targets). In addition, the use of a medium-range ballistic missile in the Lviv region and the use of “Zirkons” were recorded on January 20 and 24.
- February 2026
February was a month of peak loads. Since the beginning of this month, the enemy has launched the largest number of missiles in one strike for the entire winter – 71 units. Already on February 26, the occupiers carried out a massive drone strike – 420 UAVs in one attack.
The Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine emphasized that the enemy is systematically increasing the use of both standard ballistics (“Iskander-M”) and missiles that approach the target along a ballistic trajectory: “Dagger”, “Tsirkon”, Kh-22/32, S-300/S-400.
In total, over the course of three months, the aggressor launched over 700 missiles of various types.
The enemy continues its attacks: latest news
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On the night of March 2, the Russian military continued its attacks on Ukraine. Energy infrastructure facilities in several regions were again under attack.
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After the new shelling, consumers in Donetsk, Zaporizhia, and Sumy regions were left without electricity. Currently, energy workers are doing everything possible to restore power to all subscribers as soon as possible.
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In an exclusive commentary for Channel 24, analyst at the Center for Urban Development Yuriy Shchedrin noted that a complete absence of outages in all regions should not be expected in the spring.