Russian forces launched 310 attack drones against Ukraine overnight into Wednesday, targeting energy facilities and other infrastructure across multiple regions, as Moscow continued its aerial campaign against the country's critical infrastructure ahead of winter.

According to Ukraine's Air Force, the attack began at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, November 3, and involved Shahed-type attack drones, including 81 jet-powered models, as well as Gerbera drones and Parodiya decoys.

Ukrainian air defence units, including anti-aircraft missile forces, electronic warfare and unmanned systems units, aviation and mobile fire groups, were deployed to repel the assault.

By 8 a.m. on Wednesday, Ukrainian air defences had shot down or suppressed 272 Russian drones, including 64 jet-powered Shaheds, the Air Force said. More than 20 attack drones were still reported to be in Ukrainian airspace, with interception operations continuing.

Preliminary reports indicated that Russian drones had struck 19 locations, while debris from intercepted unmanned aerial vehicles fell at another 15 sites.

The latest drone barrage followed a much larger Russian assault on Ukraine's energy infrastructure on Tuesday, involving 289 drones, 17 ballistic missiles and 59 cruise missiles. The previous attack caused extensive damage to power generation and transmission facilities across the country, with energy installations in 10 regions coming under fire, according to Ukraine's Energy Ministry.

Ukraine's largest private energy producer, DTEK, said three of its five thermal power plants had been forced to halt operations following the strikes. The attacks also caused widespread electricity disruptions, affecting Kyiv and several other regions, while damage to water infrastructure disrupted supplies in parts of the capital.

The previous day's assault also damaged railway infrastructure, including a railway station, passenger carriages and locomotives in Zaporizhzhia, while a hospital in Kharkiv was struck, leaving dozens of people injured.

Meanwhile, further Russian attacks were reported on Wednesday in the Kyiv, Zhytomyr, Poltava, Dnipropetrovsk, Kirovohrad and Rivne regions, according to Reuters. Russian forces also reportedly struck a cargo vessel near the Odesa region.

The intensification of Russian attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure comes as the country prepares for another winter amid concerns over electricity and heating supplies. The latest strikes have further increased pressure on Ukraine's already damaged energy system. (ILKHA)