The Russian military launched massive strikes on key Ukrainian fuel and energy infrastructure in response to an attack by Ukrainian armed forces on the Taganrog military airport with ATACMS missiles, the Russian Defense Ministry said.
"In response to the use of American long-range weapons, the armed forces of the Russian Federation, with high-precision long-range air and sea weapons, strike drones, carried out a massive attack on the important fuel and energy infrastructure facilities of Ukraine, which ensure the operation of the military-industrial complex," the department said.
The Russian Ministry of Defense added that the strikes reached their goal, all objects were hit. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Russia launched 93 missiles and almost 200 anti-aircraft missiles, which became one of the largest attacks on the country's energy sector.
"We managed to shoot down 81 missiles, of which 11 cruise missiles were shot down thanks to our F-16s," Zelensky said, again calling on Western allies to provide Ukraine with modern air defense systems, particularly Patriots. Power outages occurred in Ukraine as a result of Russian strikes.
"Ukrenergo" reported that the restrictions on electricity consumption have increased. According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, on December 11, the armed forces of Ukraine attacked the Taganrog military airport in the Rostov region with 6 ATACMS missiles, as a result of which there were casualties among the crew. Moscow promised to respond to this attack.