Russian missile barrage hits multiple regions in Ukraine, targeting vital infrastructure

Russian missiles struck Ukraine Thursday in the biggest wave of attacks in weeks, destroying power stations and other critical infrastructure in freezing weather.

Russia fired 69 missiles at energy facilities and Ukrainian forces shot down 54, Ukrainian military commander General Valerii Zaluzhnyi said. Local officials said the attack killed at least two people around Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city. The attack also left at least six people dead across the country, although the number of attacks is rising as officials assess the day’s events.

Russia sent explosive drones into selected areas overnight before expanding its barrage with “air and sea-launched cruise missiles from strategic aircraft and ships” in the morning, Ukraine’s air force said. Air raid sirens sounded across the country, and the military activated its air defense system in Kyiv, the regional administration said.

Russia has attacked Ukrainian resources and water almost weekly since October as ground forces struggle to hold ground and advance. Mayor Vitali Klitschko warned of power outages in the capital, urging people to save water and charge electronic devices.

‘It’s hard to be afraid every day’

Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba called the attack “senseless barbarism.”

“There is no such thing as ‘neutrality’ in the face of such mass war crimes. Pretending to be ‘neutral’ is tantamount to taking Russia’s side,” kuleba tweeted.

After more than 10 months of war, Russia and Ukraine are locked in a terrible war. The Ukrainian military has captured Russian-held areas in the north-east and south of the country, and continues to fight ongoing Russian attempts to seize the entire industrial region of Donbas in the east.

At the same time, Moscow has methodically targeted Ukrainian power facilities and other key infrastructure in a bid to weaken the country’s resolve and force it to negotiate on Russian terms. The time between attacks has increased in recent weeks, but some commentators have theorized Russia is trying to replenish its missile supply.

The Ukrainian military has reported success shooting down Russian missiles and exploding drones in previous attacks, but many cities have been without heat, internet and electricity for hours or days.

Anastasia, a doctor who took shelter Thursday at Kyiv’s central train station and gave only her first name, said she was tired of the war. “We don’t know how long the war will last. It’s hard to be afraid every day and continue to live,” he said.

The Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal said that several energy facilities have been damaged when he said it was the 10th large-scale attack in his country.

“Russia is trying to get rid of Ukrainian lights before the New Year,” Shmyhal wrote in a Telegram post. He said emergency shutdowns may be necessary “in some areas.”

90% of Lviv without power: the mayor

About 90 percent of Lviv is without electricity, Mayor Andriy Sadovyi wrote on Telegram. Trams and trolleybuses are not working, and residents may experience water outages, he said.

Meanwhile, a Telegram channel linked to the Belarusian presidential press service said that a Ukrainian S-300 air defense missile landed in Belarusian territory in Belarus early Thursday. It said the missile may have accidentally gone astray and there were no casualties.

The Belarusian Defense Ministry said later that the missile was shot down by Belarusian air defenses in the western Brest region and fell in a field, according to a statement carried by state news agency Belta.

Belarus was the staging ground for Russia’s February 24 invasion of Ukraine.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belarus summoned the Ukrainian ambassador to express “strong protest,” it said, demanding that Ukraine “conduct a thorough investigation” and “hold those responsible.”

peace summit proposal kiosk

The United States said this month it would give batteries of Patriot missiles to Ukraine to bolster the country’s defenses. The US and other allies have also pledged to provide energy-related equipment to help Ukraine withstand attacks on its infrastructure.

Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said Russia was aiming to “destroy critical infrastructure and kill civilians en masse.”

Kuleba, Ukraine’s foreign minister, said Monday his country wants a “peace” summit in two months at the United Nations with Secretary-General Antonio Guterres as mediator. Kuleba said Russia must face a war crimes tribunal before his country talks directly with Moscow. However, he said other countries should be free to engage with Russia.

Commenting on Thursday’s summit proposal, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova dismissed it as “delirious” and “hollow,” describing the proposal as a “publicity stunt by Washington trying to cast the Kyiv regime as a peacemaker.”

Russian officials say any peace plan is only possible from Kyiv’s recognition of Russian sovereignty over territory it illegally annexed from Ukraine in September.

Zelenskyy’s 10-point peace plan was first presented at the Group Summit of November 20 in Bali, including the full restoration of Ukraine’s territorial integrity, the total withdrawal of Russian forces, the release of all prisoners, trials for those responsible for aggression and security guarantees. for Ukraine.

British Ambassador to Ukraine Melinda Simmons, commenting on the latest attack, said on Twitter that “Russia does not want peace with Ukraine. Russia wants the subjugation of Ukraine.”