Headline: Widespread Air Assaults on Ukrainian Energy Facilities by Russia: A Comprehensive Report
In what Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has termed as an act of terror, Russia has carried out extensive air strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. This aggressive move involved the use of a significant number of cruise missiles and drones. The western and southwestern regions of Ukraine seem to have faced the worst of these attacks.
The Transcarpathian region of Ivano-Frankivsk experienced hits on critical infrastructure facilities, as informed by the regional Governor, Svitlana Onyshchuk. She highlighted that this assault was the largest since the war commenced. The Russian strikes also caused adverse effects in the western region of Ternopil, though specifics were not disclosed.
Moreover, the Lviv region witnessed attacks on energy facilities, as per regional Governor Maksym Kozytskiy. He disclosed this information on the social media platform, Telegram. There were also reports of multiple blasts in the southern city of Odesa. Simultaneously, air defense systems were operational in Kyiv on December 13, as reported by regional authorities.
Zelenskiy’s response to the attack was critical of his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin. He stated that empty rhetoric would not deter Putin’s actions. Preliminary reports, according to Zelenskiy, indicated that 93 missiles, including one from North Korea, were launched. Of these, 81 were intercepted. Additionally, around 200 drones were utilized in the attack.
Ukrenerho, the national power-grid operator of Ukraine, had to impose restrictions on electricity consumption across the country due to the strikes. Zelenskiy expressed his concern about Russia’s attempt to overwhelm Ukraine’s air defenses during the massive assault on December 13.
Zelenskiy pointed out Russia’s strategic timing of the attack, waiting for freezing weather to strike, thereby increasing hardships for the Ukrainian people. He mentioned that each missile targeted energy infrastructure. He further accused Putin of terrorizing millions of individuals through his actions.
Zelenskiy is expected to meet with the leaders of Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, NATO and the European Union in Brussels on December 18 to discuss support for Ukraine. This meeting will coincide with an EU-Western Balkans summit hosted by NATO Secretary-General, Mark Rutte.
As Russia continues to escalate its attacks across Ukraine, there are indications of a potential ceasefire and peace talks in the coming months. Russia’s Defense Ministry justified the attacks as retaliation for a Ukrainian strike on an airfield in southwestern Russia using long-range, U.S.-supplied missiles.
Ukrainian Energy Minister, Herman Halushchenko, highlighted that the energy sector throughout Ukraine has come under severe attack. The Ukrainian Foreign Minister, Andriy Sybiha, called for more air defense systems to counter the Russian assaults.
Similar large-scale attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure by Russia occurred on November 28, causing significant damage and energy shortages. Russia has systematically targeted Ukraine’s civilian and energy infrastructure, especially at the onset of the cold season, resulting in prolonged power cuts for Ukrainians. Since October 2022, Russia has launched over 1,000 strikes on energy infrastructure facilities, as per the Ukrainian Energy Ministry.
This report has been compiled with inputs from Reuters and dpa.
