Russian forces fired dozens of missiles at Ukraine on Thursday in a wave of strikes that hit energy infrastructure, a day after Germany and the United States pledged heavy tanks to Kyiv.
The latest wave of attacks comes as the Kremlin says Moscow views the tank shipment “as direct involvement in the conflict” and Ukraine admits it faces pressure from Russian forces in the east.
On the road near the eastern city of Bakhmut, the medical team received the promise of a heavy tank they had been waiting for.
“This should have happened sooner, and in larger numbers,” a doctor called Liza told AFP, adding that she was “very grateful.”
On Wednesday, the United States announced it would provide 31 Abrams tanks to help Ukraine repel a Russian invasion, mirroring a similar move by Germany.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said on Thursday that the Leopard tanks promised by Berlin would arrive in “late March, early April.”
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Training of Ukrainian troops on German Marder infantry fighting vehicles will begin in the next few days, he added, and “a little later” for Ukrainian soldiers to be trained on Leopard.
In Kyiv, Ukraine’s army said its forces had destroyed 47 of 55 missiles fired by Russia in a new wave of strikes on Thursday.
A Russian missile killed one person and wounded two others in the capital, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said.
A 55-year-old man was killed by fragments of a missile shot down by Ukraine’s air defense system, city officials said.
– emergency shutdown of Ukraine –
Since October, Russia has launched regular mass attacks on energy infrastructure across Ukraine, with temperatures now near zero degrees Celsius (32 degrees Fahrenheit).
German Energy Minister Galushchenko accused Russia of trying to “create a systemic failure in Ukraine’s energy system.”
“Emergency shutdown has started. The most difficult situation is now in Kyiv, Odessa and Vinnytsia regions,” added Galushchenko after the latest attack.
In the region south of Odessa on the Black Sea, “such a situation may last for several days until damaged electrical facilities are restored,” said energy provider DTEK.
Also read: Russia does not ‘refusal to negotiate’ with Ukraine – Lavrov
The attack delayed a visit by French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna, who arrived in Odessa to discuss aid with Ukraine’s top diplomat Dmytro Kuleba.
Ukraine’s air force also said on Thursday its units shot down all 24 Iranian-made drones launched by Russian forces from near southern Ukraine.
By announcing the shipment of heavy tanks, the United States and Germany put aside long-standing misgivings and signaled a wave of Western support for a counterattack against the Russian invasion.
– ‘Intensification’ of the Donetsk front –
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz gave the green light for Germany to send 14 Leopard 2 tanks – a decision that opened the floodgates for several other European countries armed with Leopards to send their own contributions.
Although Western countries have sent all of Ukraine from artillery to the Patriot anti-missile defense system, the tanks have long been considered a step too far, prompting a counterattack from Russia.
But with Ukraine ready for a counteroffensive to push back increasingly entrenched Russia in the east and south, the allies are now scrambling to deliver powerful weapons.
Also read: Kremlin warns of escalation if West gives Ukraine long-range weapons
After a series of battlefield setbacks, Russia has claimed an advantage in the east, where Ukraine admits that its forces have withdrawn from the city of Soledar in the Donetsk region.
Russian troops and units with Wagner’s mercenary group claimed two weeks ago that they had captured a small salt mining town.
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On Wednesday, Ukraine’s Deputy Defense Minister Ganna Malyar said Moscow was also increasing pressure in the east, in the battle for nearby Bakhmut.
“The enemy is throwing a lot of personnel, weapons and military equipment into the war, trying to destroy our defenses,” Malyar said.
The US-based Institute for the Study of War said Russia engaged in “devastating attacks on most of the front lines in Ukraine to disperse and disrupt Ukrainian forces.”
These steps, he said, were to “set the conditions for launching a decisive offensive operation” in the eastern Lugansk region.
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