Ukraine had been experiencing a major increase in conflict since Russia launched a record missile barrage on the country’s energy facilities. This attack started in the week of September 25th. Mykola Kalashnik, the governor of the region surrounding the capital, Kyiv, announced that its intended purpose is to deprive Ukraine “of light, water and heat.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky recently announced that Russian troops have conducted around 1,550 attacks on energy infrastructure in the Chernihiv, Sumy, and Poltava oblasts. These assaults led to about 160 targeted strikes. This coordinated aggression was escalated in the last week. It led to catastrophic destruction of civilian life and infrastructure.
In this most recent strikes on Friday, at least 12 people were wounded in strikes that hit the center of Kyiv. Vitali Klitschko, the Mayor of Kyiv, added that the attack caused blackouts in areas of the capital. More than 16,500 households and 800 businesses in the Poltava region were affected, local authorities reported. Further, some 28,000 households in the Brovary and Boryspil raions were knocked off electricity by these strikes.
And the effects of the attacks are not limited to energy infrastructure. Just a day later, a brutal attack took place in the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia. A 7-year-old child perished in this attack, with dozens of others injured,” Andriy Sybiha, Ukraine’s foreign minister. Further east in Dnipropertrovsk region, four people were reported injured. Photo credit: US Air Force. Local authorities claimed that 60 of these drones were intercepted during their defensive measures over this area.
Last year’s winter saw over 500,000 homes in the Kharkiv region cut off from heating. It was no picnic, as they braved temperatures as low as -3 degrees Celsius (26 degrees Fahrenheit). This year has seen unprecedented attacks on energy facilities – attacks that have fueled other, broader concerns. As Ukraine settles into a new cold season, fears of a déjà vu situation are mounting.
In response to these developments, Ukraine’s energy minister Svitlana Grynchuk assured that workers are implementing “all necessary measures to minimize the negative consequences” of these attacks.
Zelensky reiterated the need for energetic protection throughout these threats which was very dangerous.
“The energy sector must be protected, and we will protect it.” – Volodymyr Zelensky
He simultaneously pointed to the success of Ukrainian defensive forces in facing down threats from Russian drones.
“They are being shot down. And they are being shot down hard.” – Volodymyr Zelensky
