More than a million Ukrainians were left without power this Thursday due to a massive airstrike with missiles and drones launched by Russia, which left much of the country in the dark and cold.
This offensive, which mainly affected the western regions of Ukraine, is just one more example of Russia’s escalation in its attempt to destabilize the country before what is shaping up to be the most difficult winter of the war.
“There are emergency power outages across the country due to the enemy’s attack on our energy sector. There is no end in sight,” said Sergey Kovalenko, CEO of energy company Yasno.
The attack, which occurred in the early hours of this Thursday, had a devastating scope, mainly affecting the regions of western Ukraine, hundreds of kilometers from the battle front.
“So far, 523,000 subscribers in the Lviv region are without electricity,” reported regional head Maksym Kozytskyi. In addition, another 280,000 residents were left without power in the Rivne region, and 215,000 more in Volyn. Despite efforts to restore supply, the extent of the damage was still being assessed.
Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelensky and his team have reiterated that these attacks are part of a Russian strategy of terror aimed at inflicting suffering on the civilian population.
Andriy Yermak, Zelensky’s chief of staff, said in a message on Telegram: “They are continuing their terror tactics, seeking to plunge Ukrainian civilians into darkness and cut off their heating during the coldest months of the year.”
This offensive, which adds to the series of attacks on civilian infrastructure, is the eleventh of its kind in 2024, according to the Ukrainian Ministry of Energy.
As temperatures dropped to 0°C in many Ukrainian cities, the situation became even more critical for citizens. “Power engineers are working to ensure backup power supply schemes where possible. They have already begun to restore the service where the security situation allows it,” the ministry indicated.
The impact of these attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure cannot be underestimated. The UN had already warned that these bombings could make this winter the most severe since the war began.
“Russian forces are using stockpiled missiles specifically to attack Ukrainian infrastructure and wage war against civilians during the winter,” Yermak said.
The escalation of the war has also been reflected in the use of more sophisticated weapons. This Thursday’s missile attack is the latest in a series of reprisals between both sides. In response to recent Ukrainian attacks with ATACMS missiles on Russian territory, Moscow launched a hypersonic missile, a weapon it had never used before in the conflict, and Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that such projectiles could be used against countries. Westerners in the future.
Meanwhile, in Ukraine, growing pressure on the military is leading the Zelensky government to take drastic measures. Outgoing US President Joe Biden has recommended lowering the minimum conscription age from 25 to 18 to cover labor shortages amid Russian advances on the Eastern Front.
The conflict has taken on a new dimension with the proximity of Donald Trump’s inauguration as president of the United States. Although Trump has expressed his willingness to negotiate a truce, his comments about military aid to Ukraine and possible pressure for the country to give up territory have generated uncertainty in kyiv.
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