Title: Wholesale Aerial Onslaught by Russia Targets Ukrainian Utilities

Title: Wholesale Aerial Onslaught by Russia Targets Ukrainian Utilities

Story:
This past Friday saw Russia launch a widespread aerial assault on Ukraine, firing 93 missiles and deploying close to 200 drones, stated Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. He characterized the strike as one of the most damaging to Ukraine’s energy sector since Russia’s full-scale invasion began around three years ago.

Thanks to Ukrainian defense measures, 81 of these missiles were downed, 11 of which were cruise missiles intercepted by ally-supplied F-16 fighter jets. Russia’s actions were described as acts of terror on millions of Ukrainians by President Zelenskyy through his Telegram channel.

President Zelenskyy restated his plea for global unity against Russian President Vladimir Putin, underlining the necessity of a potent worldwide reaction to end this terror reign. The war’s future direction is still uncertain, with President-elect Donald Trump indicating his intention to resolve the conflict while questioning the continuation of crucial U.S. military support for Kyiv.

The U.S. Embassy in Kyiv reported that transport systems and other vital facilities were also among Russia’s intended victims during the attack day. Russia’s multiple attempts to disrupt Ukraine’s electric supply seem aim to demoralize civilians deprived of vital services, while also impeding Ukraine’s defense production.

Ukrainian Energy Minister, Herman Halushchenko, reassured citizens that efforts to limit the impact on the country’s energy systems were underway. Simultaneously, the Ukrainian air force reported the deployment of multiple strike drones over Ukraine, followed by a barrage of cruise missiles crossing the country’s airspace. Included in the attack were air-launched ballistic Kinzhal missiles targeting western Ukraine, intended to cripple Ukraine’s defense manufacturing abilities.

On November 28, a similar strike involving around 200 missiles and drones left over a million homes without power before emergency crews could restore services. Ukrainian authorities have warned that Russia is preparing a stockpile of cruise and ballistic missiles for further assaults.

On November 21, the first Russian deployment of an intermediate-range hypersonic ballistic missile, the Oreshnik, targeted an industrial site in the eastern Ukrainian city of Dnipro. Putin deemed the attack retaliative, citing Ukrainian strikes on Russian territories using Western long-range firepower. Nonetheless, U.S. officials expressed apprehension about potential future deployments of the Oreshnik.

During Ukraine’s continuous three-year struggle with Russia, about half of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure has been severely damaged, causing periodic power outages. Although Ukraine’s Western allies have supplied air defense systems to safeguard essential infrastructure, Russia has been mounting large-scale missile and drone assaults to break through these defenses.

This year, Russian forces have claimed the upper hand, systematically breaching Ukrainian defenses in the east through a series of consistent, yet paced aggressions.


Posted

in

by

Tags:

Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *