NATO fighter jets were scrambled over Poland as Putin’s army unleashed a fresh wave of winter energy terror over Ukraine, hammering key power plants in a coordinated missile and drone attack.

Polish authorities shut sections of airspace as Russian missiles and drones headed towards western Ukraine.

The heaviest blow fell on the Burshtyn thermal power plant in the Ivano-Frankivsk region, one of the most important energy hubs in western Ukraine and a key link to the European electricity network.

Ukrainian monitoring channels reported that around 12 sea-launched Kalibr cruise missiles were aimed at the Burshtyn TPP in a concentrated strike, alongside waves of attack drones. Multiple explosions were reported from around 4am as air raid sirens wailed for hours.

The Burshtyn power plant stabilises electricity supplies across Western Ukraine. Even limited damage risks widespread outages and grid instability, leaving millions facing emergency blackouts in current sub-zero temperatures.

The overnight attack deployed dozens of cruise missiles and up to 100 drones, launched simultaneously towards western and central regions to overwhelm air defences.

At a maternity hospital in Lviv, newborn babies were rushed into underground shelters within minutes of being born as explosions rocked the city.

‘All these babies would be sleeping peacefully if it weren’t for the Russians. The first minutes of their lives they are spending under Russian attack,’ one social media post said.

Other energy sites hit were the Dobrotvir plant in the Lviv region, the Ladyzhyn plant in Vinnytsia, the Trypilska plant near Kyiv, and a major high-voltage substation serving the capital.

Ukraine’s national operator, UkrEnergo, confirmed emergency power cuts across multiple regions, including Kyiv and the surrounding area, warning the system was under severe strain.

Explosions were reported in Rivne, Vinnytsia and Kropyvnytskyi, while drones targeted Volyn and other western regions.

Ukrainian monitoring channels also shared video of a massive fire at a Roshen confectionery plant in the Kyiv region, the flagship company of former Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko, the billionaire businessman who led the country from 2014 to 2019 and is widely known as Ukraine’s ‘Chocolate King’.