Ukraine says Russia’s “tactics of terror” apparent in huge missile attack on energy sector as winter arrives
Kyiv — Russia launched a massive attack on Ukraine’s energy sector on Thursday, sending temperatures across the country to freezing temperatures and causing emergency power outages. Ukraine’s energy grid has been hit hard ever since Russia launches full-scale invasion In February 2022, Kyiv accused Moscow of “terror” tactics in an attempt to plunge Ukrainian cities into darkness and cut off heat to civilians throughout the winter.
The overnight attack follows two weeks of dramatic escalation, with both sides firing new weapons to gain the upper hand. Before the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump January.
Ukrainian Energy Minister German Galushenko said power infrastructure was “under massive attack by the enemy” after a nationwide air alert was issued in response to incoming missiles.
Alina Smutko/Reuters
The Air Force reported that a series of Russian cruise missiles and attack drones were flying towards cities across the country, including the capital Kiev, Kharkiv in the northeast and the Black Sea port city of Odessa.
Ukraine’s “energy sector is under massive attack by enemies”
Galuchenko said: “The energy sector is once again under massive attack by the enemy. Attacks on energy facilities are taking place across Ukraine.”
He added that national grid operator Ukrenergo “immediately implemented emergency power outages” as temperatures dropped to around 32 degrees Fahrenheit.
Energy supplier DTEK said Ukrenergo was imposing emergency power outages in the Kiev, Odessa, Dnipro and Donetsk regions.
Officials warned residents in many cities to stay in shelters and air warnings remained in effect.
“As soon as the security situation allows, the consequences (of the attack) will be clear,” Galuchenko said.
President Volodymyr Zelensky’s chief of staff said the wave of attacks showed Russia was “continuing its terror tactics”.
“They are stockpiling missiles to attack Ukrainian infrastructure and to wage war against civilians in the winter,” Andriy Yermak posted on Telegram, promising that Ukraine would respond.
Senior United Nations official Rosemary DiCarlo warned this month that Russian attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure could make this winter “the harshest since the war began.”
Russia-Ukraine war escalates with new weapons
Russia said earlier this week it was preparing to retaliate against an attack by Ukraine on its territory using U.S.-supplied ATACMS missiles.
Ukraine has launched at least three attacks on Russian territory since the White House allowed Ukraine to launch long-range missiles deeper into Russia.
Moscow responds to first attack Launching a ballistic missile never seen before In the city of Dnipro, Ukraine. In an angry address to the nation, Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that the nuclear-capable, medium-range, multiple-warhead missile could be used against the West if it allowed Ukraine to use its own weapons against Russia. nation.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said on Thursday it had shot down 25 Ukrainian drones launched at night, 14 of them over the southern territory of Krasnodar, just east of the annexed Crimean peninsula.
The governor of Krasnodar said a woman was injured by falling debris in the town of Slavyansk on the Kuban River, about 60 miles east of the Kerch Bridge. The Kerch Bridge is a massive infrastructure project connecting Crimea to Russia, which has been a key target for Kiev throughout the war.
Trump appoints retired general to lead Ukraine, Russia policy
The latest salvo of missiles came a day after Trump named retired Gen. Keith Kellogg, a staunch loyalist, as Ukraine’s special envoy tasked with ending the Russian invasion.
Trump campaigned on a platform of ensuring a quick end to the war in Ukraine, boasting that he would quickly broker a ceasefire – comments that stoked concerns in Kyiv that the United States would force it to cede land occupied by Russian forces.
Kellogg, an 80-year-old national security veteran, co-authored a paper this year calling on Washington to use military aid as a means to advance peace talks.
The outgoing Biden administration has urged Ukraine to lower the minimum enlistment age to 18 to address severe manpower shortages on the 600-mile frontline.
For months, Russian forces have been advancing in the east, where they have manpower and ammunition advantages over Ukraine’s stretched military.
