KYIV — Russia launched a huge barrage of missiles and drones at Ukraine’s energy infrastructure overnight, leaving several cities without electricity and damaging the Dnipro hydropower plant, Ukraine's biggest dam.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the Kremlin fired more than 60 drones and almost 90 missiles at Ukraine, targeting power plants and energy supply lines. Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Sumy, Poltava, Dnipropetrovsk, Odesa and Khmelnytskyi were among the areas left without electricity, Zelenskyy said in a statement Friday morning. Ukrainian air defense forces reported shooting down 37 missiles and 55 drones.

At the same time, Washington has asked Ukraine to halt drone strikes on Russia’s oil refineries, out of fear of driving up crude oil prices and provoking retaliation, according to a report Friday by the Financial Times.

Moscow attacked Ukraine’s energy infrastructure throughout 2023, before Kyiv successfully struck several oil refineries in Russia, causing financial damage to the Kremlin which still trades oil and gas despite sanctions.

Now Washington has urged officials in the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and Ukraine’s Military Intelligence Directorate (GUR) to put a stop to these attacks, the FT reported, citing three unnamed sources.

A spokesperson for the SBU declined to comment to POLITICO, while officials at GUR and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s office did not respond to POLITICO’s requests for comment. 

Ukraine's allies in Washington were quizzical about President Joe Biden's strategy.

“I don’t recall the White House having an issue with Ukrainian drone attacks against Moscow’s elite suburbs or other non-energy targets. I think Russia’s energy infrastructure is more sensitive for them, especially in an election year,” said Daniel Vajdich, president of Yorktown Solutions, which advises Ukraine’s state-owned energy sector. “At the same time, I don’t see how Ukraine can establish some semblance of deterrence without putting at risk Russia’s energy infrastructure. They should be allowed to do this.”

A Biden administration official did not respond directly to a question on whether the White House raised the issue of the attacks' potential to affect energy markets. 

"We have long said that we do not encourage or enable attacks inside of Russia," the official said. "What we are doing is helping Ukraine defend itself against Russian aggression." 

'Air defense is needed'

Friday's Russian attack put the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant on the verge of a blackout, Ukraine’s energy ministry said. The Zaporizhzhia facility, the largest nuclear plant in Europe, has been occupied by Russia since 2022.

Zelenskyy used the attack to plead for more military aid from Ukraine's allies.

“There are no delays in Russian missiles, as in aid packages to our state," he said. Shahed drones "do not have indecision, like some politicians. It is important to understand the cost of delays and delayed decisions,” Zelenskyy said.

EU leaders at a summit on Thursday disagreed over European financing of weapons for Ukraine. They asked the European Commission to "explore all options for mobilizing funding and report back by June." There are similar delays in Washington, where a $60 billion military aid bill has been held up for months by political haggling in the U.S. Congress.

“Patriot systems must protect Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia, air defense is needed to protect people, infrastructure, houses and dams," Zelenskyy implored. "The partners know exactly what is needed. They can definitely support it."

The overnight assault was the second massive attack against Ukraine in quick succession after months of respite. It came soon after a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group at Germany's Ramstein air base and a visit by U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan to Kyiv.

Ukrhydroenergo, operator of the Dnipro hydropower plant, said the situation at the station "is under control" following the attack.

“Russians are trying to create a new ecological disaster, cynically hitting the hydroelectric facilities and the dam,” Ukrhydroenergo said in a statement.

Russia's defense ministry admitted firing a barrage, including hypersonic Kinzhal missiles, at Ukrainian energy infrastructure, calling it retaliation for Ukrainian attacks on Russian border regions.

 "From March 16 to 22, in response to the shelling of our territory, attempts to break through and the capture of Russian border settlements, the armed forces carried out 49 retaliatory strikes with high-precision, long-range air-based weapons, including Kinzhal aeroballistic hypersonic missiles, missile systems, and unmanned aerial vehicles," it said.

Russia wants us to 'give up'

Local authorities in Ukraine reported that five people died, more than 20 were wounded, and three were missing. Russia killed a bus driver who was riding on the Zaporizhzhia dam to his morning shift. There were no passengers. 

“There is a simple explanation for these Russians attacks,” Kyiv’s Mayor Vitali Klitschko told POLITICO. “They are trying to destroy normal life and depress people, hoping we will give up. That’s why they target civilian infrastructure and our energy network. But because of our spirit we have the will to win,” he added.

Klitschko said this winter has been easier than last year “because we were better protected thanks to our allies with air defense and so there has been less damage.” But he emphasized Ukraine needs more assistance.

“We need more Patriot air defense systems that only the Americans can supply,” echoed former deputy Prime Minister Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze, now an opposition lawmaker. 

“The Europeans are trying to compensate and fill in what the United States isn’t providing because of the hold-up on Capitol Hill with President Biden’s $60 billion package but they can’t make up everything, at least in 2024," she said. "Moreover, there are so many types of weapons they just do not have, like Patriots. We need munitions for the Patriot systems we do have. We need to ensure we are protecting our civilian infrastructure and people.

“So  we will go through 2024 waiting for 2025, when maybe the Europeans will be able to do more. And we still have to survive that period,” she added.

This story has been updated.

Claudia Chiappa in Brussels and Ben Lefebvre in Washington contributed to this report.