Russia bombards Ukraine’s energy grid ahead of winter

Russia is escalating its attacks on Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure, taking hits at the country’s energy system as Ukrainian officials warn that a difficult winter in the country is looming.

An onslaught of strikes Monday morning took aim at Ukraine’s capital city, killing at least four in Kyiv, according to a Telegram update from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

“It acts insidiously – kills civilians, hits housing, infrastructure,” Zelensky said of the attacks.

Recent strikes in central and northern Ukraine damaged energy infrastructure facilities, state grid operator Ukrenergo reported on Telegram, according to translations, and an attack Saturday severely damaged a significant power facility near Kyiv.

Ukrenergo said the country’s energy situation is under control at the moment but urged Ukrainians to be frugal with their energy use to help avert emergency shutdowns. Zelensky echoed that call.

“Due to the Russian missile terror in some cities and regions of Ukraine, energy workers have to limit the supply of electricity so that the entire system works stably. But it will be possible to avoid such stabilization blackouts if all of us in Ukraine consciously treat our consumption during peak hours. This is a small thing for every person’s life – but extremely tangible within the entire energy system,” Zelensky said.

The grid operator also cautioned Ukrainians that a difficult winter lies ahead as Russia continues its attacks into the colder, darker months. Moscow appears intent on hitting Ukraine’s energy infrastructure and ramping up its strikes as winter approaches.

Ukrainian Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko told CNN in an interview last week that Russia had hit around 30 percent of the country’s energy infrastructure in just a two-day period.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Telegram that Russia had fired 28 explosive kamikaze drones at the capital city in Monday’s strikes alone.

Russia’s Ministry of Defense on Monday reportedly said it had struck “all designated targets” in its latest bout of attacks, according to Reuters.

Ukraine’s energy system has so far been resilient, and Ukrainian troops have maintained their successful counteroffensive effort, but Zelensky has long predicted that the winter season will be a significant challenge for the civilian population and for the war effort.

After waging successful advances last month, the Ukrainian president said he anticipated a “turning point” in the conflict this winter, which could “lead to the rapid de-occupation of Ukraine.”

In a call with President Biden earlier this month, Zelensky “underscored that recent large-scale damages of critical energy infrastructure pose serious challenges ahead of the upcoming winter and beginning of the heating season,” according to an update from his office.

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