MOSCOW/KYIV/BUDAPEST - Russian forces launched a large-scale overnight strike against Ukraine's military-industrial complex and energy infrastructure, the Russian Defense Ministry said Friday.
The raid involved long-range precision weapons launched from land, air and sea, as well as combat drones, the ministry said in a statement.
According to the Ukrainian Air Force, Russia launched 381 combat and decoy drones and 35 missiles during the attack, mainly targeting critical energy infrastructure facilities in the Kharkiv and Poltava regions.
Ukraine's state-owned gas operator Naftogaz reported that the group's gas production facilities in both regions were targeted in the attack.
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Ukraine's largest private energy company DTEK reported that several gas production facilities in the central Poltava region were forced to halt operations following the strikes.
Rescuers and energy workers are currently working on the sites of the strikes to mitigate the damage and stabilize the situation, the Ukrainian Energy Ministry said in a statement.
Strategic partnership with Ukraine
Separately, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said the European Union should sign a strategic partnership with Ukraine rather than admit the country into the bloc, stressing Budapest's opposition to accelerating Kyiv's accession.
Speaking on public Kossuth Radio, Orban said deeper cooperation with Kyiv could be pursued through a partnership, but full membership should not be considered.
"I propose that we conclude a strategic agreement with Ukraine. Let there be an agreement between the Union and Ukraine. There are such agreements with the British and with the Turks; this is not unprecedented. But we should not admit them."
Orban said that Hungarians do not want to share a common destiny with Ukrainians, noting that Ukraine's geopolitical reality is to live alongside Russia in ongoing conflict.
"We pity them, but we do not want to share their fate," Orban said, adding that Hungary insists on staying out of the conflict, but admitting Ukraine would risk drawing Hungary into the conflict with Russia.
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He said that there is no military solution to the crisis and called for diplomatic negotiations, adding that the EU's current approach to the conflict in Ukraine amounts to a "war strategy".
Although Hungary often stands alone publicly, in private talks, Orban said he senses growing support from other EU countries.
European leaders met in Copenhagen on Thursday at the seventh summit of the European Political Community, where Ukraine's ties with the EU were high on the agenda. Orban said proposals tabled at the gathering included increasing EU funds for Ukraine, financing arms deliveries, and fast-tracking accession procedures.
In a post on X, he warned that such initiatives could draw the bloc into the conflict and harm national sovereignty and energy security. "Our position is clear: Hungary will continue to stand for peace and sovereignty," he said.
