Russia launches one of the fiercest missile and drone attacks at Ukraine's infrastructure

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia on Sunday launched a massive drone and missile attack on Ukraine, described by officials as the largest over the past months, targeting energy infrastructure and killing civilians.

The attack came as fears are mounting about Moscow’s intentions to devastate Ukraine's power generation capacity ahead of the cold winter.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Russia had launched a total of 120 missiles and 90 drones in a large-scale attack across Ukraine. Various types of drones were deployed, he said, including Iranian-made Shaheds as well as cruise, ballistic and aircraft-launched ballistic missiles.

Ukrainian defenses shot down 140 air targets, Zelenskyy said in a statement on the Telegram messaging app.

“The enemy’s target was our energy infrastructure throughout Ukraine. Unfortunately, there is damage to objects from hits and falling debris. In Mykolaiv, as a result of a drone attack, two people were killed and six others were injured, including two children," Zelenskyy said.

Two others were killed in the Odesa region, where the attack damaged energy infrastructure and disrupted power and water supplies, said local Gov. Oleh Kiper.

The combined drone and missile attack was the most powerful in three months, according to the head of Kyiv’s City Military Administration Serhii Popko.

Russian strikes have hammered Ukraine’s power infrastructure since Moscow’s all-out invasion of its neighbor in February 2022, prompting repeated emergency power shutdowns and nationwide rolling blackouts. Ukrainian officials have routinely urged Western allies to bolster the country’s air defenses to counter assaults and allow for repairs.

Explosions were heard across Ukraine on Sunday, including in capital Kyiv, the key southern port of Odesa, as well as the country’s west and central regions, according to local reports.

The operational command of Poland’s armed forces wrote on X that Polish and allied aircraft, including fighter jets, have been mobilized in Polish airspace because of the “massive” Russian attack on neighboring Ukraine. The steps were aimed to provide safety in Poland's border areas, it said.

One person was injured after the roof of a five-story residential building caught fire in Kyiv’s historic center, according to Popko.

A thermal power plant operated by private energy company DTEK was “seriously damaged,” the company said.

Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, emergency services personnel remove part of a Russian missile that hit an apartment house during massive missile attack in Kyiv, Ukraine, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)

In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, emergency services personnel remove part of a Russian missile that hit an apartment house during massive missile attack in Kyiv, Ukraine, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)

In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, emergency services personnel remove part of a Russian missile that hit an apartment house during massive missile attack in Kyiv, Ukraine, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)

In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, emergency services personnel remove part of a Russian missile that hit an apartment house during massive missile attack in Kyiv, Ukraine, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)

In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, emergency services personnel work to extinguish a fire following a Russian rocket attack in Poltava region, Ukraine, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)

In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, emergency services personnel work to extinguish a fire following a Russian rocket attack in Poltava region Ukraine, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)

In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, emergency services personnel work to extinguish a fire following a Russian rocket attack in Lviv, Ukraine, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)

In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, emergency services personnel work to extinguish a fire following a Russian rocket attack in Lviv, Ukraine, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks during a press conference during the European Political Community (EPC) Summit at the Puskas Arena in Budapest , Hungary, Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Denes Erdos)

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — Polls opened in Senegal on Sunday for a parliamentary election that is set to determine if the country’s newly elected president can carry out ambitious reforms.

More than 7 million registered voters in the West African country are choosing 165 lawmakers in the national assembly, where the party of President Bassirou Diomaye Faye currently does not hold a majority.

Faye, who was elected in March on an anti-establishment platform, says that has blocked him from executing the reforms he pledged during his campaign, including fighting corruption, reviewing fishing permits for foreign companies and securing a bigger share from the country’s natural resources for the population.

In September, he dissolved the opposition-led parliament, paving the way for a snap legislative election. His party is facing the Takku Wallu opposition platform led by former President Macky Sall, alongside 39 other registered parties and coalitions.

Polls will close at 6 p.m (1800 GMT). The first provisional results are expected to be known by Monday morning, but the final count will only be published later during the week.

Faye’s political party, PASTEF, needs at least 83 seats in order to gain a majority in the assembly. Analysts say it has a high chance of securing that, given its popularity and Faye's margin of victory in the March presidential election.

Faye, 44, was elected with 54% in the first round, becoming Africa’s youngest elected leader, less than two weeks after he was released from prison. His rise has reflected widespread frustration among Senegal’s youth with the country’s direction — a common sentiment across Africa, which has the world’s youngest population and a number of leaders accused of clinging to power for decades.

Over 60% of Senegalese are under 25 and 90% work in informal jobs. Senegal has been hit by skyrocketing inflation in recent years, making it difficult for them to get by.

The country is also a major source of irregular migration to Europe, with thousands leaving every year on rickety, artisanal fishing boats in search of economic opportunities.

The campaign for the legislative election was marked by sporadic clashes between supporters of different parties. The headquarters of an opposition party were set on fire in the capital, Dakar, and clashes have erupted between supporters in central Senegal in recent weeks, the interior ministry said Monday,

On Tuesday, Ousmane Sonko, the country’s prime minister who helped catapult Faye to victory, denounced attacks against supporters of PASTEF in Dakar and other cities.

“May each patriot they have attacked and injured be proportionally avenged. We will exercise our legitimate right to respond,” he wrote on X, before back-pedalling and asking his supporters to remain peaceful in a speech later that day.

Last month, Sonko’s vehicle was attacked with stones as clashes broke out between his supporters and unidentified attackers while he was campaigning in Koungueul, in the center of the country. The leader of an allied party, former minister Malick Gackou, had his arm broken in the incident, according to local media.

The presidential election in March tested Senegal’s reputation as a stable democracy in West Africa, a region rocked in recent years by coups and attempted coups.

Both Faye and Sonko were released from prison less than two weeks before the vote following a political amnesty announced by outgoing President Sall. Their arrests had sparked months of protests and concerns that Sall would seek a third term in office despite term limits. Rights groups said dozens were killed and about 1,000 were jailed.

A man collects voting cards, that are set on a table, before casting his vote for legislative elections at a polling station in Dakar, Senegal Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Annika Hammerschlag)

A man has his identity verified before casting his vote during legislative elections in Dakar, Senegal Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Annika Hammerschlag)

People wait to cast their ballot for legislative elections in Dakar, Senegal Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Annika Hammerschlag)

A member of security forces stands guard as people wait to cast their votes outside a polling station during the legislative elections in Dakar, Senegal Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Annika Hammerschlag)

A man casts his vote for legislative elections, at a polling station in Dakar, Senegal Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Annika Hammerschlag)

People wait to cast their ballot for legislative elections in Dakar, Senegal Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Annika Hammerschlag)

An electoral employee begins the assembly of a voting station for legislative elections in Dakar, Senegal Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Annika Hammerschlag)

People line up to cast their ballot for legislative elections in Dakar, Senegal, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Annika Hammerschlag)

FILE - Senegal's President Bassirou Diomaye Faye attends a press conference in Dakar, Senegal, Aug. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Annie Risemberg, File)