The hydroelectric power station at a reservoir on the Dnipro river near the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhya, which was damaged in a Russian missile attack, is in "critical condition," according to the authorities on Saturday.
Specialists must assess how safe the dam is, said the military governor of the Zaporizhzhya region, Ivan Fedorov, on Ukrainian television. "At the moment, traffic from the left bank to the right bank is completely blocked, so traffic is restricted for local residents."
The power plant has been attacked several times by Russian forces over the past few months. A fire broke out during a massive missile attack at the end of March. The power plant sustained serious damage and had to be shut down for a while.
Another missile hit the plant during the night and the dam was temporarily closed to traffic.
Ukraine again faced a heavy overnight barrage of Russian missile and drone strikes, primarily targeting energy infrastructure, according to Ukrainian Energy Minister German Galushchenko earlier on Saturday.
Facilities in the regions of Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, Kirovohrad, Ivano-Frankivsk and Zaporizhzhya were attacked, Galushchenko wrote on Facebook on Saturday. Other civilian targets were also hit in the process.
In the town of Balakliya in the Kharkiv region, 12 people were injured due to hits on residential buildings, including eight children.
According to the Ukrainian air force, Russia used 53 missiles and cruise missiles, as well as 47 drones. Some of the cruise missiles were launched from far behind the border by Russian Tu-95 strategic bombers flying in the Saratov region or over the Caspian Sea.
The air force said it shot down 30 Kh-101 and 4 Kalibr cruise missiles as well as an Iskander missile. Furthermore, 46 of the 47 drones were intercepted.
The attack is part of Russia's systematic efforts to destroy Ukraine's energy supply. In the past two years, the Russian military has already destroyed around 8,000 megawatts of power capacity in Ukraine.
The aim seems to be to break the will to resist of Ukraine's civilian population. Russia's constant attacks on its neighbour lead to frequent power cuts.
Kiev has just had to raise electricity prices for the second time since the war began, increasing tariffs by more than 60% according to a government statement on Friday.
The price hike is necessary to avoid power outages and "maintain the system," Galushchenko said in the statement. Significant funds were needed for repair work at damaged power stations, substations and high-voltage lines, he noted.
Russia began its full-scale war on Ukraine in 2022 and Moscow repeatedly attacks civilian targets such as cities and energy supply facilities in particular.