Strikes on energy infrastructure are to demilitarise Kyiv – Putin
ATTACKS by Russian drones in southern Ukraine caused a fire at an energy facility in Dnipropetrovsk region and damaged critical infrastructure in the Kherson region, Ukrainian authorities said yesterday.
Russia also used one Kh-59 guided air missile for the attack, the Ukrainian military said on Telegram.
Drone debris caused a fire at the energy facility, which was not identified. The emergency services have put out the fire, according to a statement yesterday from Serhiy Lysak, Dnipropetrovsk’s region governor. No casualties were reported by the military or local officials.
The attack also damaged a critical infrastructure facility and seven private residences in Kherson region with no casualties reported, according to Kherson regional governor Oleksandr Prokudin.
Since late last month, Russia has launched major attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure, significantly damaging the Ukrainian power system and causing emergency power cuts in some regions.
Russian missiles and drones destroyed a large electricity plant near Kyiv and hit power facilities in several regions on Thursday, worsening the state of an embattled energy system.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said that airstrikes on Ukraine’s energy grid, which have caused huge blackouts, are part of the Kremlin’s “demilitarisation” of its neighbour.
His comments came after Moscow launched a barrage of aerial attacks on Thursday, targeting energy facilities across Ukraine with about 40 drone attacks, destroying a power station in the Kyiv region.
“We assume that in this way we have an influence on the Ukrainian military-industrial complex,” said Putin during a meeting at the Kremlin with his ally and Belarus counterpart Alexander Lukashenko.
Putin said the strikes were also in response to Kyiv targeting Russia’s energy infrastructure, including oil refineries, as the conflict drags on into its third year. He claimed that Russia had not targeted Ukrainian electrical installations during this winter this year “for humanitarian reasons”.
Russian strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure during the winter of 2022-2023 left millions of people without light or heating for long periods.
This last winter, Ukraine’s electrical grid was hit less often, until Moscow launched a new wave of attacks starting in early March.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy renewed his appeals for fresh air defence systems on a visit to Lithuania.
The Kremlin also said this week that Ukraine peace talks due to be held in Switzerland in June made “no sense” unless Russia took part.
Switzerland announced this week that a high-level conference on the Russia-ukraine conflict would be held on June 15-16, but without Russia.
Ukraine and up to 100 countries would attend the conference at the Burgenstock resort near the central city of Lucerne, hosted by Swiss President Viola Amherd. |