Russia Ramps Up Attacks on Ukrainian Energy, Crippling Infrastructure
In recent weeks, Russia has intensified its attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure targets. "Their tactic has changed - sadly, not for the better for us," said Svitlana Grinchuk, Deputy Minister of Energy of Ukraine, in an interview with CNN.
7:42 PM EDT, April 15, 2024
During the first two years of the conflict, Russian attacks on Ukrainian energy systems were widespread, targeting multiple facilities at once. However, the nature of these attacks has evolved. Now, Putin's forces are launching more precise and concentrated strikes, with dozens of missiles and drones hitting a single target.
"In such a short time - over just a few weeks of these massive Russian assaults - almost all of our year-round efforts to rebuild and repair the energy networks were annihilated in just a few days by a handful of attacks," Grinchuk explained.
Russians took a long time to prepare for the attack
Russia kicked off the latest series of assaults on Ukrainian power plants on March 22. On Thursday, the Trypilska Thermal Power Plant in the Kyiv region, the largest of its kind, was completely obliterated due to Russian shelling. Moreover, DTEK, Ukraine's largest energy company, reported "severe damage" to two of its power plants and 80 percent of its other electricity-producing facilities.
According to Ukrainian officials, the Russians initiated this wave of attacks now for two primary reasons: they needed time to amass missiles and gather intelligence data, and they were waiting for an opportunity when Ukrainian air defenses would be weakened, especially after the suspension of aid by the USA.
Source: Radio Free Europe
