Russia targeting Ukraine's energy grid before arrival of Western assistance - ISW

Russian forces conducted large-scale missile and drone strikes targeting Ukrainian energy infrastructure on the night of May 7 to 8, continuing to exploit Ukraine's degraded air defense umbrella ahead of the arrival of U.S. and Western security assistance at scale.

That's according to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), Ukrinform reports.

"Russian forces will likely continue to conduct mass strikes to cause long-term damage to Ukrainian energy infrastructure as degraded Ukrainian air defense capabilities persist until the arrival of U.S.-provided air defense missiles and other Western air defense assets at scale," ISW analysts said.

The large-scale missile and drone attack targeting Ukrainian energy infrastructure on the night of May 7 to 8 is the fifth one since March 22, 2024.

ISW said that the Russian military attempted to exploit degraded Ukrainian air defense capabilities in the spring of 2024 to collapse Ukraine's energy grid and constrain Ukraine's defense industrial capacity.

"Russian forces have also intensified strikes against Ukrainian transportation infrastructure in recent weeks in an apparent effort to disrupt Ukrainian ground lines of communication (GLOCs) and constrain the flow of expected US security assistance to the frontline," ISW analysts said.

On the night of May 7 to 8, Russian forces launched another large-scale missile and drone attack targeting Ukraine's energy infrastructure in the Vinnytsia, Zaporizhzhia, Ivano-Frankivsk, Kirovohrad, Poltava, and Lviv regions.

Ukraine's air defense forces intercepted 59 enemy drones and missiles.

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