Posted on 12/17/2022 6:36 PM
(Source: Handout / Ukrainian State Emergency Service / AFP)
Ukraine is working to restore electricity and water supplies this Saturday (17), a day after Russian bombings cut off these basic services across the territory at a time when temperatures are below zero.
Ukraine’s national operator imposed emergency power cuts on Friday after Russia massively bombed the country’s power plants.
The power system “continues to recover,” Ukrenergo said on Saturday, but noted the power deficit was still “significant”.
Power restoration could take longer compared to previous bombings due to the extent of damage sustained in the north, center and south of the country, the operator said.
Moscow fired 74 missiles on Friday, mostly at cruise ships, according to the Ukrainian army. Air defenses managed to shoot down 60 of them, he added.
The latest wave of Russian attacks has done a lot of damage, and as of Saturday, a third of Kiev’s residents were still without power, according to Mayor Vitali Klitschko.
However, authorities managed to restore water supply and operations to the disrupted subway, allowing residents to use the stations as shelters.
The attacks also darkened Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city in northeastern Ukraine, although power was restored on Saturday, according to regional governor Oleg Sinegubov.
As Moscow bombed Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin met with senior commanders in charge of the military operation in the former Soviet republic, the Kremlin said on Saturday.
“I would like to hear your suggestions on our short and mediumterm measures,” Putin said at the meeting attended by Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Russian Chief of Defense Valery Gerasimov. The pictures were broadcast by Russian state television on Saturday.
“Indiscriminate Terror”
After a series of military setbacks in southern and northeastern Ukraine, Russia, which launched an offensive in Ukraine at the end of February, has since October opted for a tactic of mass attacks on power grids.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said Saturday the attacks targeted Ukrainian military and energy facilities and also attempted to “disrupt the transfer of foreignmade weapons and ammunition.”
“All designated targets were hit,” he explained in his daily report.
European Union diplomat Josep Borrell issued a statement condemning Russia’s “indiscriminate terror” against Ukraine. “These cruel and inhumane attacks aim to increase human suffering and deprive the Ukrainian people,” he said.
Temperatures in Kyiv on Friday were between 1 and 3 degrees below zero. The capital has withstood “one of the largest missile attacks” since the Russian invasion began on February 24, the region’s military administration said. Authorities said air defenses shot down 37 of the 40 missiles.
In Kryvyi Rig (centre) the shelling hit a residential building. A 64yearold woman and a young couple with a small child were killed, regional governor Valentyn Reznichenko said on Saturday. Another 13 people were injured, he added.
In Kherson (south), recently recovered by troops from Kyiv, a Russian bomb attack killed a 36yearold man and wounded a 70yearold woman, Governor Yaroslav Yanushevich said.
protracted war
Moscow claims the bombing of Ukrainian power plants was in response to the blast that destroyed the bridge connecting the annexed Crimea peninsula to Russian territory.
The Kremlin also believes that Kyiv is to blame for the situation for rejecting the negotiating terms proposed by Moscow.
Aiming to bring Moscow to the negotiating table, the European Union on Thursday passed a ninth package of sanctions, including a ban on drone engine exports to Russia or “third countries” like Iran.
Ukrainian military authorities warn that Russia is preparing an offensive that will include a new attempt to seize Kyiv.
NATO boss Jens Stoltenberg warned that Moscow was preparing for a “long war” against Ukraine.
“We shouldn’t underestimate Russia,” Stoltenberg told AFP. “We see that they are mobilizing more forces, that they are also willing to take a lot of casualties, that they are trying to get access to more weapons and ammunition,” he said.
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