In apparent retaliation for what Moscow claimed was a Ukrainian attack on its Black Sea Fleet, a massive barrage of Russian cruise missile and drone strikes struck critical infrastructure in Kyiv, Kharkiv, and other Ukrainian cities early Monday (local time, late Monday NZT), knocking out water and power supplies.
As the war approaches its ninth month, Russia has stepped up its attacks on Ukraine’s power plants and other critical infrastructure.
As a result, rolling power outages are already happening in several areas of Ukraine.
Oleksii Kuleba, the governor of the Kyiv area, claimed that “the Kremlin is exacting punishment for military failures on peaceful people who are left without electricity and heat before the winter.”
Russia’s Defence Ministry said its forces carried out “strikes with long-range, high-precision air- and sea-based weapons against the military command and energy systems of Ukraine”. ”
The goals of the strikes were achieved.
The government stated in a statement that all predetermined benchmarks had been reached.
Despite a Russian threat to reimpose a blockade that threatened to cause hunger throughout the world, 12 ships carrying grain departed Ukrainian ports on Monday (local time), according to the Ukrainian Ministry of Infrastructure. One ship transported wheat from Ukraine to Ethiopia, where millions of people are suffering from a severe drought.
Ukraine’s air force said it shot down 44 of more than 50 cruise missiles that Russia launched.
Russian missiles and drones, according to Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, damaged 18 sites, principally energy installations, in 10 different Ukrainian districts.
In a Facebook post, he claimed that hundreds of communities across seven different Ukrainian regions were left without electricity, adding that “the repercussions could have been much worse” if the Ukrainian military hadn’t fired down the majority of the Russian missiles.
Ihor Klymenko, the head of the National Police, announced on national television that thirteen persons had been hurt as a result of the morning attacks.
The Ukrainian capital was shaken by loud explosions as people got ready for work. The emergency services sent out text message warning about the threat of a missile attack, and air raid sirens wailed for three hours during the morning commute.
Vitali Klitschko, the mayor of Kyiv, claimed that damage to a power facility had left 80% of the city’s 3 million residents without access to water.
Numerous people lined up in Kyiv to manually pump water from wells into plastic bottles and cans, often waiting more than an hour in line.
“It has an influence on our lives, it is really inconvenient,” one 34-year-old resident, who agreed to provide only his first name, Denis, said as he collected water. However, it’s not a problem, in actuality.
The conflict is the issue.
Either a missile hit or the place where Ukrainian forces shot it down caused smoke to rise from the Dnieper River’s left bank in Kyiv.
On the outskirts of Kyiv, a crater and debris from one of the missile landings were being examined by soldiers, as seen by reporters for the Associated Press. Witnesses reported hearing the sound of explosives exploding as the missiles flew quickly and low.
On his way to work, 28-year-old Oleksandr Ryabtsev stated, “It was genuinely terrifying.”
“It was flying there when I raised my head. This cruise missile was visible even though I didn’t go to work. I returned home.”
According to Prime Minister Shmyhal, there are ongoing emergency power outages in the cities of Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Kyiv, and Zaporizhzhia. The official stated, “Today, just like in previous weeks, it is crucial that Ukrainians utilise energy carefully and lessen the stress on the system.”
According to authorities, two strikes in the eastern city of Kharkiv struck crucial infrastructure facilities, and the metro stopped running.
The Cherkasy region, southeast of Kiev, also sustained damage to critical infrastructure locations. According to local authorities, an energy complex was hit in the Kirovohrad region of central Ukraine.
According to Serhii Borzov, the regional governor, fragments of a missile that was shot down in Vinnytsia landed on residential structures, causing damage but no casualties.
The Ukrainian Railways stated that some of the train network in Ukraine has lost power.
Heavy Russian bombardment on Ukraine leaves much of Kiev without water
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