(Kyiv) Ukraine reported early Thursday a “massive attack” against its energy infrastructure and said it had to carry out power cuts, particularly in Kyiv, at a time when Moscow is intensifying its military pressure on the country after the election. by Donald Trump.
Updated at 12:31 a.m.
As temperatures approach 0°C, “once again the energy sector is under massive attack from the enemy,” the Energy Ministry said on Facebook.
Emergency power cuts were implemented in particular in Kyiv, Odessa and Dnipro, said the operator DTEK.
An air alert was triggered across the country, with the Ukrainian Air Force reporting missile strikes targeting in particular the regions of Odessa (south), Kirovograd (center), Kherson (east). ) and Mykolaiv (south).
On Tuesday, Russia announced a “response” to two new Ukrainian strikes carried out using American ATACMS missiles against its territory in the previous days.
Russia has been shelling civilian areas across Ukraine since its invasion of the country began in February 2022 and has stepped up its strikes as winter approaches, particularly targeting energy infrastructure.
For its part, the Russian Ministry of Defense claimed to have destroyed 25 Ukrainian drones overnight over the Bryansk region, close to Belarus, Crimea and the Rostov region (south).
On the front, Moscow is making territorial gains against a weakened Ukrainian army, less than two months before the American president-elect takes office.
On Wednesday, the administration of outgoing President Joe Biden called on Kyiv to lower the minimum age for military mobilization to 18 years old instead of the current 25 years old to compensate for the lack of soldiers in the face of the advance of Russian forces on the ground.
This call comes as Donald Trump could adopt a new approach and push Kyiv to negotiate with Moscow.
“Existential” crisis
A senior official in the current U.S. administration said Wednesday, speaking on condition of anonymity, that Ukraine faces an “existential” crisis in recruiting, with a dwindling volunteer pool, facing an enemy with stronger forces. numerous and better equipped.
PHOTO DAN BASHAKOV, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Soldiers carry the coffin of actor Petro Velykiy, 48, who died on the battlefield.
“The truth is that Ukraine is currently not mobilizing and training enough troops to replace battlefield losses and sustain itself in the face of growing Russian forces,” he said.
Kyiv has already lowered the minimum age for mobilization this year from 27 to 25. The White House clarified on Wednesday that American military aid would in no case be conditional on a further reduction.
“We will absolutely continue to send weapons and equipment to Ukraine. We know it’s vital. But so are the human numbers,” White House spokesperson John Kirby said in a statement.
Donald Trump, for his part, announced on Wednesday to appoint former general Keith Kellogg, 80, who called on Kyiv for several concessions, as emissary to end the war between Ukraine and Russia.
“Together we will achieve peace through strength and make America and the world safe again!” », Wrote the president-elect in a publication on his Truth Social network.
Very critical of the billions of dollars released by the United States for Ukraine, Donald Trump promised to resolve the war between Kyiv and Moscow even before taking the oath of office in January – without ever explaining how.
In a memo published in April, Mr. Kellogg stressed that “any future US military aid will require Ukraine to participate in peace talks with Russia.”
He also called for “postponing Ukraine’s membership in NATO for an extended period” in order to “convince (Russian President Vladimir) Putin to participate in peace talks.”
Russia is benefiting from the help of North Korea in its current breakthrough, which according to American authorities has deployed thousands of men and is supplying weapons to Moscow.
In this context, South Korea and Ukraine have agreed to share information on the deployment of North Korean troops in Russia, Seoul announced on Wednesday.
