International
Russia launches devastating attack on Ukraine’s energy sector
Russia’s army has unleashed a massive attack on Ukraine’s energy sector on Thursday, leaving millions of Ukrainians without power as temperatures plummeted to freezing levels across the country.
The assault, which is part of a broader escalation of hostilities between the two nations, has been widely condemned by Ukrainian officials, who accuse Russia of employing “terror” tactics to cripple the country’s energy infrastructure.
Ukraine’s Energy Minister, German Galushchenko, described the attack as a “massive enemy assault” on the country’s power infrastructure, which has been repeatedly targeted by Russian forces since the invasion in February 2022.
“The energy sector is under massive enemy attack. Attacks on energy facilities are taking place across Ukraine,” Galushchenko said, as the national power grid operator, Ukrenergo, introduced emergency power cuts to mitigate the damage.
The attack, which was launched overnight, involved a barrage of Russian cruise missiles and attack drones targeting cities across Ukraine, including the capital Kyiv, Kharkiv in the northeast, and the Black Sea port city of Odesa.
As the attack unfolded, Ukraine’s air force reported that Russia had launched a string of missiles and drones, which were intercepted by Ukrainian air defenses. However, the sheer scale of the assault overwhelmed the country’s energy infrastructure, leading to widespread power outages.
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The consequences of the attack are still being assessed, but it is clear that the situation is dire. With temperatures hovering around 0 degrees Celsius (32 degrees Fahrenheit), the lack of power and heating poses a significant humanitarian risk to millions of Ukrainians.
President Volodymyr Zelensky’s chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, condemned the attack, saying that Russia was “continuing their tactics of terror” by targeting Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
“They stockpiled missiles for attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure, for warfare against civilians during… winter,” Yermak said in a post on Telegram, pledging that Ukraine would respond to the attack.
The attack on Ukraine’s energy sector is part of a broader pattern of escalation between Russia and Ukraine, which has seen both sides launch new weapons and tactics in recent weeks.
Russia’s defense ministry claimed that it had downed 25 Ukrainian drones fired overnight, including 14 over the southern Krasnodar territory. However, Ukrainian officials denied these claims, saying that Russia was attempting to justify its own aggression.
The international community has condemned Russia’s attack on Ukraine’s energy sector, with senior UN officials warning that the situation could become catastrophic if left unchecked.
Rosemary DiCarlo, a senior UN official, warned that Russian strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure may make this winter the “harshest since the start of the war”.
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