Moscow (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – The defence ministry of Russia reported five attacks by Ukraine on Russian energy infrastructure in the last day, violating a U.S.-negotiated moratorium on these strikes.
Last month, Ukraine and Russia reached an agreement to halt strikes on their energy facilities. Ukraine and Russia reached an agreement to pause attacks on energy infrastructure following a call between President Trump and Ukrainian President Zelenskyy and a day after Trump held similar discussions with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.
The 30-day agreement aimed at a much-needed respite to millions of Ukrainians who have often spent their nights in darkness and without heating. However, both nations have continuously blamed each other for violating this temporary truce.
Are energy facilities becoming the war’s newest front?
Surprisingly, just hours after Vladimir Putin announced that Russia would cease targeting Ukrainian energy facilities, both Russia and Ukraine initiated air strikes that inflicted damage on each other’s infrastructure.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that Russia was targeting hospitals. He noted that during his call with US President Donald Trump on Tuesday, the Russian leader effectively dismissed a comprehensive ceasefire.
A few days ago, Ukraine sustained its attacks on Russian energy infrastructure, even with a U.S.-negotiated pause on strikes against such facilities, according to the Russian Defence Ministry.
The ministry reported that Ukrainian forces carried out seven attacks in the Crimea, Bryansk, Rostov, and Voronezh regions within the past 24 hours. Additionally, the ministry noted that Russian forces executed an overnight strike utilizing long-range precision weapons and drones, targeting Ukraine’s central artillery armament base and enterprises in the defense industry involved in drone manufacturing. However, the exact locations of the targets were not revealed.
Later in February 2024, Russia’s military launched a large-scale missile and drone attack on Ukraine’s energy and gas infrastructure. “The energy and gas infrastructure in various regions of Ukraine is under mass missile and drone shelling again,” Energy Minister German Galushchenko said.
“Russia is trying to hurt ordinary Ukrainians by shelling energy and gas production facilities, without abandoning its goal of leaving us without power and heating, and causing the greatest harm to ordinary citizens,”
He also said.
