Ukrainian air defense, according to the country’s authorities, intercepted 44 of Russia’s 50 missiles, but serious problems are already being recorded in Ukraine, putting the country in a state of energy emergency
By Athena Papakosta
Russia’s barrage of cruise missile and drone attacks against Kiev, Kharkiv and other Ukrainian cities and regions on Monday left thousands of households in Ukraine without water and electricity. For Moscow, Ukraine had to “pay” for the air and sea drone attack against the Russian fleet in the Black Sea in the early hours of Saturday morning.
The war in Ukraine has now entered its ninth month of conflict, and Russia has been striking critical energy infrastructure in recent weeks, plunging the country into darkness and cold. “The Kremlin is taking revenge for its military failures on a peaceful people who are left without electricity and heating before winter”, emphasized the governor of Kyiv, Olexei Kuleba. “Partly, yes. However, it is not the only thing we could do”, answered the Russian president for his part, Vladimir Putin during a press conference in Sochi.
The Ukrainian air defense, according to the country’s authorities, intercepted 44 of Russia’s 50 missiles, but serious problems are already being recorded in Ukraine, putting the country in a state of emergency energy need. Across the country, 18 facilities were hit, with Kiev denouncing a shift in Russia’s strategy in the ongoing war in Ukraine.
Allegations that the Russians are investing in the winter to chill Ukrainian morale are mounting. Indicative was the position of the Ukrainian Minister of Defense who links the change in tactics with the arrival of Sergei Surovykin at the head of the Russian armed forces in Ukraine. “The goal of the Russians is to sow chaos and panic among the people while they are cold and living in the dark.” For the president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, this is a terrorist tactic and he is again asking for help from the West to strengthen Ukrainian air defenses. Kyiv has already received the first of a total of four advanced IRIS-T anti-aircraft systems from Berlin, while the United States is also preparing the delivery of advanced surface-to-air missile systems, NASAM.
Late Monday night 40% of consumers in Kyiv had no water while 270,000 households remained without electricity. Correspondents of foreign news media broadcast images from the Ukrainian capital with residents queuing in central parts of the capital to get water. “We can live without light and heating. However, it was the first time I couldn’t fill a glass with water from the tap, take a bath or flush the faucet,” Obolon resident Maxim Korat told the New York Times.
Putin’s calculations are based, analysts say, on the expectation that the Ukrainian people will buckle under impoverished conditions and force the Zelenskyi government to compromise. For his part, the Ukrainian president has ruled out such a possibility by clarifying “it is better to live without you (s.s. Russia) than with light and water”.
Kiev is again calling on Ukrainian citizens to use energy sparingly, and after the new barrage of Russian attacks, the alarm bells are ringing mainly for the residents of Kiev, Zaporizhia, Dnipropetrovsk and Kharkiv. Already for a month the entire country has been living with rolling blackouts in anticipation of winter, while 30% less energy is consumed in it compared to the period before the start of the war. At the same time, the Ukrainian authorities have asked those who have left the country not to return to it before next spring.
A solution is (still) being sought (also) for grains
It was the third Monday out of a total of five in October that Russia targeted critical Ukrainian facilities. This time the retaliation comes after the attack on the Russian Black Sea fleet off Crimea. An attack that Moscow also invokes for the suspension of its participation in the “Black Sea Initiative” signed last July under the auspices of the UN for the export of Ukrainian grain.
The Kremlin claims the drones reached their targets via the Black Sea safe corridor, which has been set up to export Ukrainian grain. “They endangered our warships and merchant ships,” the Russian president stressed on Monday. Kiev insists that this is a “false pretext” and emphasizes that for its part it will continue to implement the agreement on the export of grain. Already yesterday, Monday, 12 ships sailed from Ukrainian ports and another two headed to them to load food.
The Turkish Minister of Defense, Hulusi Akar, had a telephone conversation on the matter with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Shoigu, in which, as it later became known, Moscow urged him to review its position and return to the agreement that has allowed the export of more than 9 million tons of grain from Ukraine.
It is worth underlining that the grain agreement may have only been valid for 120 days (ending on 19 November) but it was an exceptional agreement involving the two belligerent countries and led to the de-escalation of already high food prices by 15 %. Now, countries in Africa, the Middle East and Asia are becoming more vulnerable and a global food crisis is just around the corner.
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I am currently a news writer for News Bulletin247 where I mostly cover sports news. I have always been interested in writing and it is something I am very passionate about. In my spare time, I enjoy reading and spending time with my family and friends.
