Speaking at a security summit in Kazakhstan, Putin stated that Russia had targeted 17 facilities, which included military and defense industry sites, but did not acknowledge the damage to Ukraine’s power infrastructure. “As I have said many times, there will always be a response from our side (to the use of American ATACMS),” Putin remarked.
The assault, which involved nearly 200 missiles and drones, left over a million households in Ukraine without power, Ukrainian officials reported. This marked Russia’s 11th large-scale strike on Ukraine’s energy supplies this year, a tactic that has led to nationwide rolling blackouts.
Widespread power outages across Ukraine
Ukrainian authorities confirmed widespread devastation as a result of the missile barrage, which targeted energy facilities across multiple regions of the country. The attack comes less than two weeks after a similar assault, raising concerns that Russia aims to weaken Ukraine’s power generation capacity ahead of the harsh winter months.
Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko said in a Facebook post, “Attacks on energy facilities are happening all over Ukraine,” adding that emergency power outages were implemented throughout the nation to manage the damage.
The Russian missile strike included Kalibr cruise missiles, some of which were armed with cluster munitions. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the attack as “an insidious escalation.” Cluster munitions, which release multiple small bombs over a wide area, pose significant risks to civilians both during and after an attack.
Concerns of “weaponising winter”
Ukrainian officials have repeatedly warned that Russia is stockpiling cruise and ballistic missiles for further pre-winter assaults on Ukraine’s power grid. The ongoing bombardment of energy infrastructure is seen as part of Russia’s strategy to “weaponise winter,” seeking to deny Ukrainian civilians access to essential services like heating and water during the cold season.
Nearly half of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure has been destroyed since the war began nearly three years ago, and rolling blackouts are now commonplace.
In addition to civilian suffering, the attacks are aimed at hampering Ukraine’s defense industry, which is crucial for the production of military assets such as missiles, drones, and armored vehicles.
Missile strikes affect cities across Ukraine
Reports of explosions flooded in from multiple cities across Ukraine, including Kyiv, Kharkiv, Rivne, Khmelnytskyi, and Lutsk. The attacks not only left civilians without power but also disrupted critical infrastructure, such as water supply systems. In the Rivne region, more than 280,000 households were left without electricity, while more than 215,000 homes in the Volyn region were similarly affected.
In Kyiv, where the air raid alert lasted for more than nine hours, missile debris fell in one neighborhood, although no casualties were reported. Ukrainian officials noted that air defense systems had been activated in several regions, but the damage to infrastructure remained severe.
Call for increased military support and air defense systems
Ukrainian President Zelenskyy has called on Western countries to expedite the delivery of promised air defense systems, which he said are crucial in saving lives and protecting the country’s energy grid. “Each such attack proves that air defense systems are needed now in Ukraine, where they save lives, and not at storage bases,” Zelenskyy said in a Telegram post.
Andrii Yermak, head of Ukraine’s presidential office, accused Russia of intentionally stockpiling missiles for use against Ukraine’s infrastructure in the coming months, aided by “their crazy allies, including from North Korea.”
There have been increasing reports of military support for Russia from North Korea, with both Western governments and South Korea confirming the intensification of such support in recent months.
A nation in crisis as winter approaches
As winter draws near, the strain on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure intensifies, and local authorities have implemented measures to mitigate the impact of power shortages.
In affected areas, officials have opened “points of invincibility,” shelters where people can charge electronic devices and receive refreshments during blackouts. In the Lviv region, more than half a million households were left without electricity following the missile barrage.
Similar situations were reported in Ivano-Frankivsk, where air defenses were activated, and emergency power outages were ordered.
This latest attack has only increased fears that Russia’s strategy is aimed at further undermining Ukraine’s resilience as it heads into the winter months, with the country’s power grid and civilian morale increasingly under threat.
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