Russia’s strike on March 22 aimed for full blackout in Ukraine - minister.

The goal of Russia’s massive missile and drone strike targeting Ukraine’s energy infrastructure on March 22 was a complete blackout.

That’s according to Ukraine’s Energy Minister German Galushchenko, Ukrinform reports.

"Thermal and hydro power generation were targeted throughout Ukraine. Moreover, mainline substations throughout the country were under fire. Twelve regions were directly affected. This is the largest attack on our energy in general since the launch of full-out aggression. More than 150 incoming targets. In 2022-2023, we saw nearly a hundred of those in a single attempt," said the minister.

Read also: If Russia seeks to destroy Dnipro HPP dam, more attacks expected – energy minister

He stated that the barrage did affect the entire power system.

"The good news is that the system is stable and intact. Because the goal of this attack was not just to hit some CHPP or substation. The goal was a total blackout in our country. The fact that we lived throughout the winter without rolling outages, with light and heat, is not because the attacks never occurred. They did, but they were of a more local nature," Galushchenko noted.

Kharkiv region saw the largest scale of destruction at power generation and transmission facilities.

Read also: Damage to Ukrainian energy system, excluding latest attack, amounts to $11.5B – energy official

"Now we are yet to complete damage verification. The relevant services are available 24/7 so that we can get access to the equipment as quickly as possible. Let's clear this rubble, take a look, understand the consequences, and see what they brought in terms of costs," said the minister.

According to rough calculations, damage may amount to billions of hryvnias.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, referring to Ukrhydroenergo CEO, it will take years to restore the capacity of Dnipro HPP that was hit by Russian missiles on March 22.