The Russian Defense Ministry maintained that it had launched a strike on “critically important gas and energy infrastructure facilities that ensure the functioning of Ukraine’s military-industrial complex.” He did not specify the locations of the targets or provide other details.
Russia attacked Ukraine with 43 missiles and 74 drones overnight from Tuesday to Wednesday, the Ukrainian Air Force said. A total of 30 missiles and 47 drones were shot down, while 27 drones did not hit their targets.
Russian missiles targeted targets ranging from the Lviv region in western Ukraine to Kharkiv in the northeast of the country. State electricity provider Ukrenergo reported emergency power cuts in six regions. It often shuts down power generation during attacks as a precaution.
“The enemy continues to terrorize the Ukrainians,” reacted Ukrainian Energy Minister German Galushchenko on Facebook.
Russia has repeatedly attempted to cripple Ukraine’s power grid, depriving the country of heat, electricity and running water in an attempt to undermine Ukrainian morale. Its attacks have also sought to disrupt Ukraine’s defense manufacturing industry.
Ukrainian authorities are trying to rebuild their electricity production after the attack, although the strikes have eroded production. Western partners are helping Ukraine rebuild.
“We are in the middle of winter and Russia’s target remains the same: our energy infrastructure,” denounced Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Telegram.
He urged Ukraine’s Western partners to accelerate their deliveries of air defense weapons, stressing that “promises have been made, but have not yet been fully realized.”
Riposte
On Tuesday, the Russian Defense Ministry promised to respond to what it described as an attack on Russian soil using several missiles supplied by the West.
Ukraine has not confirmed the attack, but its officials said Tuesday they hit an oil refinery, a fuel storage depot, a chemical plant producing munitions and two anti-aircraft missile systems, in an attack missiles and drones which reached approximately 1,100 kilometers depth in Russia.
Long-range attacks are a feature of the nearly three-year-old war. On the front line which winds around 1,000 kilometers from northeast to south Ukraine, the armies are engaged in a war of attrition.
Russia has made progress on the battlefield over the past year, although its progress has been slow and costly.
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