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Image source, Reuters

As we've been reporting, this is not the first time Russia has targeted Ukraine's energy system, it's something that Moscow has done repeatedly since the start of the war.

Earlier this month a Russian missile and drone attack targeted the power infrastructure across Ukraine, hitting several regions, and killing at least 10 people,

Kyiv, Donetsk, Lviv and Odesa were among the regions affected in what President Volodymyr Zelensky called a "massive" attack, estimating that around 120 missiles and 90 drones were launched.

The strikes resulted in blackouts, and Ukraine’s largest private energy company, DTEK, said its thermal energy plants had suffered "significant damage".

Paul Adams
Reporting from Uman, central Ukraine

Ukrainian officials have been warning for some time that Russia has been stockpiling cruise and ballistic missiles in order to launch coordinated, countrywide attacks on Ukraine’s energy system.

This is the second such attack this month.

As usual, the attack unfolded over several hours, with waves of drones and missiles flying across the length and breadth of this vast country.

Ukraine's response is equally familiar, the authorities implementing pre-emptive emergency power cuts in order to minimise damaging overloads to the country’s grid.

Temperatures are dropping and the country has already experienced its first snowfalls, but the full force of Ukraine’s famously harsh winter has not yet been felt.

If Russia keeps up these country-wide attacks on Ukraine’s energy system, as it has in previous winters, then the country will once again face a challenging few months.

Here's a little more detail from the statement by Ukraine's energy minister.

"Attacks on energy facilities are taking place all over Ukraine," Herman Halushchenko says in a post on social media.

The country's state-owned energy operator, Ukrenergo, has "urgently introduced emergency power outages", he adds.

He urges residents to regularly check official updates and to seek shelter.

Vitaliy Shevchenko
´óÏó´«Ã½ Monitoring's Russia editor

There is no clear picture of the whole impact of the latest Russian missile attack on Ukraine so far, but reports are coming in of damage to civilian infrastructure.

In north-western Ukraine, Lutsk mayor Ihor Polishchuk says there's and trams have stopped, while the head of the Rivne administration Oleksandr Koval says electricity supplies have been .

Image source, Reuters

This morning's strikes follow a week of escalation and intensifying rhetoric between Ukraine and Russia.

Russia made close to 1,500 strikes on Ukraine through Sunday night on about half of the country's regions, causing dozens of injuries, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Meanwhile Ukraine's military said it struck a key oil depot south of Moscow, and targets in the Bryansk and Kursk border regions.

Last week Russia said it had fired a new Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile on the Ukrainian city if Dnipro, while Ukraine used long-range US and British missiles inside Russian territory for the first time.

We're now getting pictures of Kyiv residents seeking shelter in the capital's underground train stations.

Many are wrapped up in winter gear and some have brought along their pets.

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Paul Adams
Reporting from Uman, central Ukraine

Ukraine's energy minister says the country's power infrastructure is, once again, under widespread attack.

So far, explosions have been reported from one end of the country to the other, in a series of missile and drone attacks that began late last night.

Reports are still coming in from Kharkiv in the east to Lutsk in the far west and Odesa in the south.

Emergency power cuts have already been introduced – a standard procedure when the authorities see that the country’s entire grid is being targeted.

Ukrainian officials have been warning for some time that Russia has been stockpiling cruise and ballistic missiles in order to mount coordinated attacks on power infrastructure throughout the winter.

This appears to be the second such attack this month.

Ukraine’s parliamentary commissioner for human rights, Dmytro Lubinets, says Russia’s actions made no military sense.

The attacks, he said, were aimed at intimidating the civilian population and creating a humanitarian crisis.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko says air defences are working in Kyiv, amid Russia's nationwide attack on energy infrastructure.

Early on Thursday, the Ukrainian air force issued a nationwide air raid warning "due to the threat of missile danger".

Numerous other regions around the country, including Rivne, Vinnytsia, Kropyvnytskyi, Balta, and Mykolaiv are believed to be targeted.

Good morning and welcome.

We are starting live coverage of the latest events in the Ukraine war, with authorities there saying the country has been hit by a series of missile and drone attacks overnight targeting the country’s power infrastructure.

Explosions have been reported across the country with reports still coming in from Kharkiv in the east to Lutsk in the far west and Odesa in the south.

"The energy sector is under a massive enemy attack again," says Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko, in a post on social media.

Stay with us as we bring you the latest updates and analysis.