On Thursday, November 6, the Russian army carried out a strike on the Dnipropetrovsk region, destroying eight coal mines, according to the Ukrainian Ministry of Energy. At the time of the attack, 2,595 miners were underground. Rescue operations are underway, and preliminary reports indicate that there are no fatalities or injuries.

“Russia continues its energy terrorism. Another strike has endangered the lives of thousands of miners. Russia continues to wage war on civilians. Russia’s tactics are clear – to leave Ukrainians without light and heat in winter,” said Energy Minister Svitlana Grinchuk.

Rescue teams and mine personnel have been working to safely evacuate all miners to the surface.

The latest strike follows a series of Russian attacks on the region’s energy infrastructure. On Wednesday night, Russian forces also launched drone strikes on the Dnipropetrovsk region, injuring eight people in the city of Kamyanske. The attack partially destroyed the roof and floors of a four-story residential building and damaged cars, infrastructure, and a local transport company.

In recent weeks, Russia has systematically targeted Ukraine’s mining and energy facilities.

On Oct. 20, Russian troops launched a missile strike on an enrichment plant belonging to DTEK Energy in the Dnipropetrovsk region – the sixth large-scale attack on DTEK’s coal enterprises in the past two months. A day earlier, on Oct. 19, a massive strike hit another DTEK mine in the region, where 192 miners were underground at the time.