Russia Sharpens Its Assault Strategy on Ukraine's Energy Assets, CNN Finds
Russia has revamped its strategy for mass attacks on Ukraine, according to the American network CNN. Since the end of March, Vladimir Putin's forces have been specifically targeting the energy infrastructure in a series of assaults.
2:06 PM EDT, April 16, 2024
Recent weeks have seen a shift in Russian tactics for assaults on Ukrainian energy facilities, CNN indicates. From earlier dispersed attacks, the approach has now shifted to more precise and concentrated attacks.
"Their tactics have evolved, regrettably not in our favor," said Ukrainian Deputy Energy Minister Svetlana Grinchuk.
The Deputy Minister underscored that the mass Russian attacks have obliterated nearly all of Ukraine's year-long efforts to repair and rebuild, within just a few short days.
On March 22, during one of the heaviest onslaughts against Ukraine, Russia adopted this new tactic. "The new strategy involves concentrated missile and drone attacks on very specific targets," explained Alexander Kharchenko, director of the Kiev Center for Industrial Energy Research (EIRC).
DTEK, Ukraine's largest energy-producing company, has reported that Russia's focus has shifted away from attacks on the Ukrainian electricity transmission systems to concentrated assaults on the energy infrastructure since the end of March.
"The enemy has refined their tactics, utilizing precision weapons to greatly enhance their destructive capability compared to that of 2023," remarked DTEK CEO Maxim Timchenko.
Analysis of Russian Behavior by Americans
CNN recalls that Russia had targeted energy facilities before the winter season, but the recent attacks have been conducted in spring. The network proposes two reasons Russia might have opted for a spring offensive.
Firstly, Russia presumably needed time to amass weapons and gather essential intelligence. Secondly, it might have been anticipated that air defense systems would less safeguard Ukrainian power plants during this time.
