A Russian missile barrage has been hitting targets throughout Ukraine, many in civilian areas.

The attacks have been widespread: Kyiv, Lviv, Dnipro and others. But they are not indiscriminate.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr ZelenAG百家乐在线官网y said there was a primary target: "Energy facilities throughout the country."

This is the other war: the energy war, a war that has been fought from the very start.

A war for Ukraine 鈥� but also for European countries, including the UK.

And on the frontline of this conflict sits Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant - a facility vital for both Ukrainian and Russian ambitions.

Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant supplied almost 20% of Ukraine's electricity before the war.

It's been under sporadic attack since it was occupied by Russia in March, with both sides blaming each other for recent shelling.

The nuclear reactors - at the centre of fears of an accident - have not been hit.

But the infrastructure around them has been. It might be the sign of a deliberate strategy.

One clue can be seen in this satellite image from 24 August showing smoke in the aftermath of shelling.

Thermal satellite imagery helps identify the precise location of the fires, which seem far away from the centre of the plant.

But by overlaying the power lines which transport energy outwards to Ukraine, it's apparent the fires risk damaging critical infrastructure.

It's unclear who was responsible for these attacks.

Russian forces have stationed themselves in and around the plant, making them a possible target for Ukrainian attacks. Ukrainian officials continue to blame Russia for damaging the facility.

Either way, there are risks. The International Atomic Energy Agency has said that on several occasions in recent weeks the plant has lost power, needed to ensure the fuel in the reactors is cooled. Back-up diesel generators have had to be relied upon.

And it's not just the power lines which have been hit.

In September, evidence emerged that part of the system used to cool spent nuclear fuel was damaged.

This image posted to a Russian social media account showed a burst pipe leaking water.

And nearby another bit of infrastructure - the fuel processing building - was struck.

A closer look at the building helps show the extent of the damage.

This satellite image shows the damage to the roof on 29 August.

And this picture posted to social media site Telegram shows the ordinance penetrated the roof.

So what's going on with these attacks?

They could be the result of collateral damage from fighting. But the pattern we see, with the more vulnerable infrastructure hit, suggests there could be something more deliberate at play.

Retired Air Vice-Marshal Sean Bell told Sky News:

鈥淲e鈥檝e got to be careful around Zaporizhzia because historically it's provided most of the power for Crimea. And as soon as the Russians annexed that in 2014, the Ukrainians cut them off the grid. And therefore for all sorts of reasons, Russia would want to get that power re-established and control that power for Crimea."

All the reactors at Zaporzhzhia have now been taken offline, to avoid a meltdown, meaning the plant no longer supplies Ukraine - or Europe.

The effect of these attacks and others, coupled with reduced demand, can be seen in the amount of energy generated in Ukraine this year.

Energy generation in Ukraine has almost halved since the invasion on February 24.

And when we break it down by source, it's clear the drop off is largely the result of reduced nuclear generation.

This issue, amongst others, mean there have been at least half a million people without electricity in Ukraine each day since the early days of the war.

The power outages are not just a result of Zaporizhzhia going offline.

For example, another nuclear complex, this time within Ukrainian controlled territory, came under attack last month. The video below shows footage of this attack, striking in the vicinity of the South Ukraine Nuclear Power plant at night.

And it's not just nuclear plants that have been targeted.

The aftermath of another Russian attack on Ukrainian controlled territory in September was captured in the video below. Firefighters are seen trying to control a blaze near Kharkiv TEC-5, the country鈥檚 second-biggest thermal power plant.

Much like at Zaporzhzhia, it was the surrounding infrastructure rather than the main part of the plant that was hit in Kharkiv. Geolocating the footage shows the fire broke out at a substation several hundred metres away from the central complex.

Energy infrastructure was also the target of Russia鈥檚 initial salvo last week, when 84 missiles were fired at sites across the country. Electricity outages were reported in Lviv, Poltava, Sumy, Kharkiv and Ternopil.

The attacks have continued and President ZelenAG百家乐在线官网y said this week that 30% of Ukraine's power stations have been destroyed since 10 October.

These strikes are all part of the energy war - to put the lights out in Ukraine as it heads into its long, cold winter.

But there鈥檚 another element at play.

At the start of the war, Ukraine disconnected its grid from Russia 鈥� and connected it to Europe instead. In July, Ukraine said it would help Europe with its energy crisis by supplying it with electricity from its nuclear and other power stations. That鈥檚 when Russian attacks picked up. It鈥檚 also when Russia suspended gas supplies to Europe indefinitely.

And since then we鈥檝e seen other gas pipelines, underneath the Baltic Sea, apparently sabotaged - with the gas bubbling to the surface.

They weren鈥檛 supplying gas to Europe - but the damage means the prospect of them resuming supplies is remote, and has highlighted the vulnerability of energy infrastructure.

Russia has denied responsibility. But the attacks on Ukraine鈥檚 energy infrastructure increase the pressure on European countries, including the UK, struggling with high energy prices.

As the frontline shifts again, the battle over Ukrainian power plants will only become more intense. Two conflicts, the ground war and the energy war - and they are fighting for every inch.

Reporting: Tom Cheshire, Kieran Devine, Jack Taylor, Mary Poynter
Graphics: Charlie Parish, Brian Gillingham
Editor: Natasha Muktarsingh, Matthew Price

The Data and Forensics team is a multi-skilled unit dedicated to providing transparent journalism from Sky News. We gather, analyse and visualise data to tell data-driven stories. We combine traditional reporting skills with advanced analysis of satellite images, social media and other open source information. Through multimedia storytelling we aim to better explain the world while also showing how our journalism is done.