Russia launched its biggest barrage of the year against Ukraine after President Volodymyr Zelenskiy completed a visit to Europe where he sought more weapons.
(Bloomberg) — Russia launched its biggest barrage of the year against Ukraine after President Volodymyr Zelenskiy completed a visit to Europe where he sought more weapons.
Explosions were heard in Kyiv as Moscow’s forces targeted energy infrastructure even as Ukraine’s military said most missiles were shot down. Romania pushed back against a claim by Ukraine’s top commander that two Russian Kalibr cruise missiles had crossed a corner of Romania early Friday as it headed for western Ukraine.
Authorities in Russia itself announced that the country will cut oil output by 500,000 barrels a day next month in retaliation for Western sanctions, sending crude prices higher.
(See RSAN on the Bloomberg Terminal for the Russian Sanctions Dashboard.)
Key Developments
- Romania Says No Russia Missile Crossed Airspace After Kyiv Claim
- Bank of Russia Tilts Hawkish, With Rate Hike More Likely in 2023
- Russia Retaliates for Sanctions by Announcing Oil Output Cut
- East Europe Markets Fall as Russian Missiles Launched at Ukraine
- OPEC+ Won’t Boost Oil Supply as Russia Cuts, Delegates Say
(All times CET)
Zelenskiy Condemns Latest Massive Attack (1:48 p.m.)
Zelenskiy condemned the launch of at least 70 missiles, saying that “unfortunately, there are victims”.
The Ukrainian leader, who visited Brussels, Paris and London this week, said in a statement on his website that the missiles had passed through the airspace of Moldova and Romania, adding that this represented a “challenge to NATO”.
Romania’s government earlier Friday denied a claim by the Ukrainian military that a Russian missile had crossed into its airspace. The Moldovan Foreign Ministry summoned Russia’s ambassador over the incident.
Ukraine Says Downed 61 Cruises Missiles (1:22 p.m.)
Russia launched 71 cruise missiles, as many as 35 S-300 missiles and seven drones, Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, commander-in-chief of Ukraine’s armed forces, said Friday on Telegram. Cruise missiles were fired from strategic bombers and from ships in the Black Sea. Ukrainian forces shot down 61 cruise missiles and five drones, he said.
Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal had said earlier on Telegram that high-voltage infrastructure in the country’s western, central and eastern regions had been damaged, causing interruptions with power supply.
Romania Says ‘Aerial Target’ Was Never In Its Airspace (12:30 p.m.)
Romania’s defense ministry said it detected an “aerial target, most likely a cruise missile launched from a Russian warship in the Black Sea,” early Friday, but that the projectile didn’t cross into its airspace “at any time.” The missiles were never within 35 kilometers (22 miles) of the northeast Romanian border, it said.
The “target” flew over Ukraine, then Moldova, “after which it reentered Ukrainian space without crossing into Romania’s airspace,” the NATO member said in a statement.
Romania said it rerouted two MiG jets to the north of the country to increase “reaction options,” but that once the situation was clarified the jets resumed their initial mission.
OPEC+ Won’t Boost Oil Supply as Russia Cuts (12:19 p.m.)
Russia’s partners in the OPEC+ oil coalition signaled they won’t boost output to fill in for cutbacks announced by Moscow.
The OPEC+ group led by Saudi Arabia will maintain output despite plans by the Kremlin to cut 500,000 barrels a day in retaliation for international sanctions, according to delegates who declined to be identified.
Read more: OPEC+ Won’t Boost Oil Supply as Russia Cuts, Delegates Say
Bank of Russia Moves to Hawkish Bias (12:06 p.m.)
Russia’s central bank kept interest rates unchanged but signaled it will consider hikes at its coming meetings should risks to inflation worsen.
Policy makers held their benchmark at 7.5%, in line with the forecasts of all economists surveyed by Bloomberg. But in a shift of tone, the central bank said in a statement accompanying the decision that higher borrowing costs could soon be in play.
Air Defense Downed at Least 10 Rockets Over Kyiv, Lviv and Kryvyi Rih (11:40 a.m.)
Ukraine’s air defense downed at least 10 rockets over Kyiv and at least one in the far-western Lviv region, local mayors Vitaliy Klitschko and Andriy Sadovyi said on Telegram. Kyiv’s power grid was damaged and engineers are working to restore it, Klitschko said.
Four rockets were downed over Kryvyi Rih, home city of Ukraine’s president, and nearby areas, said local mayor Oleksandr Vilkul. No casualties or major damage were reported.
Missile and Drone Attack Hits Energy Targets in Six Regions (11:40 a.m.)
Friday’s missile and drone attack from Russia, the latest in over a dozen major barrages since early October, hit thermal and hydro generation facilities as well as high-voltage infrastructure in six regions, Ukraine’s energy minister said.
“Emergency outages have been introduced in many regions. The most difficult situation is in the Zaporizhzhia, Kharkiv and Khmelnytsky regions,” Herman Halushchenko said on Facebook. Air defense and advanced technical measures were helping to preserve the integrity of Ukraine’s energy system, he added.
Ukraine, NATO Member Start Artillery Shell Production (11:30 a.m.)
Ukrainian state-run Ukroboronprom has started making 120-mm artillery shells in cooperation with a NATO member country, the company said on website. The NATO country wasn’t identified.
Production will be partially located outside Ukraine. Ukroboronprom has been producing 82-mm shells using the capacities of a NATO member state — also not named — since December.
Moldova Calls in Russian Envoy Over Airspace Violation: TASS (11 a.m.)
Moldova’s foreign ministry has summoned Russia’s ambassador after Friday’s incident in which Kyiv says Russian cruise missiles crossed parts of Moldovan and Romanian airspace before entering western Ukraine.
The missiles were part of a new barrage from Moscow that started overnight and continued into Friday morning, aimed at Ukrainian energy infrastructure and other targets.
Ukraine Vows to Meet Conditions for EU Membership Talks This Year (10:14 a.m.)
“Enormous progress” by Ukraine was acknowledged by European leaders during Zelenskiy’s visit to Brussels on Thursday, Deputy Prime Minister Olha Stefanishyna told Bloomberg TV. It’s essential to start the negotiation process this year, and Ukraine’s government is delivering on all seven required crucial reforms, including judiciary and rule of law and the fight against corruption, Stefanishyna said.
On Thursday, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that “more needs to be done” by Ukraine “but important is to understand there is no rigid timeline. It is a merit-based process so it’s up to the candidate country how far and how fast they reach the goals that are being set.”
Emergency Power Cuts Amid Major Missile and Drone Attack (9 a.m.)
Grid operator Ukrenergo implemented emergency electricity outages in several areas amid what it called the 14th mass Russian missile and drone attack on Ukraine’s energy system.
The company said on Facebook that high-voltage infrastructure as well as power plants and transmission stations had come under attack.
Multiple Russian Missiles On the Way After Overnight Strikes (8 a.m.)
The latest major barrage of Russian attacks on energy facilities and other key infrastructure began overnight with missile strikes on Kharkiv and drone strikes in the Zaporizhzhia, Dnipro and Mykolayiv.
Mykolayiv Governor Vitaliy Kim said about 20 missiles are headed toward Ukraine. Overnight, seven drones were launched by Russia from the Sea of Azov and six Kalibr cruise missiles were launched from a Russian ship based in the Black Sea, according to Ukraine’s Air Forces. Five drones and five missiles were intercepted.
Preventive power cut-offs were enacted in the Kyiv and Dnipropetrovsk regions due the threat of oncoming missiles. Russia has consistently targeted Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure since early October.
Scholz Asks European Leaders to Deliver Tanks (3:15 a.m.)
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has asked European leaders to deliver the Leopard 2 tanks, which will be needed to send two battalions to Ukraine by the end of March.
“I’ve used the opportunity to ask them for active assistance,” said Scholz early Friday morning after the EU Council meeting in Brussels. “My impression is: This will work. But it won’t be easy,” he added.
Germany will deliver 14 Leopard 2 tanks. For the creation of two full battalions, 80 battle tanks will be needed altogether.
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