Doubling down on its efforts to use winter as a weapon, Russia launched its fiercest attack in weeks Thursday, battering Ukrainian power and water infrastructure amid freezing temperatures.
The widespread assault, described by Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba as “senseless barbarism,” featured a barrage of missiles and exploding drones. At least two people were killed near the northeastern city of Kharkiv, and at least seven were wounded across the country, according to preliminary assessments.
Ukrainian military chief Gen. Valerii Zaluzhnyi said his forces shot down 54 of 69 missiles targeting energy facilities, but 10 pieces of critical infrastructure in 10 regions and 18 residential buildings were still damaged, authorities said. About 90% of Lviv, a western city far from the front lines, was left without electricity, its mayor said.
Russia is trying to deprive Ukrainians of light before the New Year,” Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal wrote in a Telegram post, adding that emergency blackouts may be necessary “in some areas.”
With Russian ground forces struggling to hold ground and advance, Moscow has attacked Ukrainian power and water supplies almost weekly since October, trying to weaken the country’s resolve and force it to negotiate a settlement on the Kremlin’s terms.
In his nightly video address to the nation, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said most regions of Ukraine were experiencing power outages because of the latest Russian assault, especially Kyiv and the area around it, in addition to Lviv, Odesa, Kherson and other provinces.
He also pointed out the blackouts had not kept his office or the cabinet of ministers from fulfilling their duties.