Moscow (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Russia’s Defense Ministry reported targeting Ukraine’s energy infrastructure and military sites, aiming to weaken Ukraine’s power supply and morale.
Russian Defence Ministry has stated that it had struck energy facilities in Ukraine that back Kyiv’s military-industrial complex. As reported by Reuters, the Russian Defence Ministry declared that over the last 24 hours, it had operated its air force, missiles, drones and artillery to hit energy structures, military airports and Ukrainian military soldiers across multiple sites. The ministry also said that Russian soldiers had shot a Ukrainian Su-27 fighter jet, 97 drones and six American-supplied HIMARS missiles overnight.
This recent attack is part of a larger trend wherein Russia has targeted Ukraine’s energy infrastructure systematically since the start of the war in 2022. According to reports, over 1,000 strikes have been carried out on energy facilities since October 2022, and there have been huge losses in generating capacity, affecting millions of Ukrainians.
How are Russia’s strikes affecting Ukraine’s infrastructure?
On 13 December 2024, Russia launched an extensive attack with 93 missiles and over 200 drones into the western part of Ukraine, targeting energy infrastructure. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said 81 of the missiles were shot down. Still, the attacks badly damaged energy infrastructure in areas such as Ivano-Frankivsk, which called it the worst attack it had ever faced.
Increasing power supply restrictions and rolling blackouts have become very common throughout Ukraine as a result of these attacks. After the attacks, the national power grid operator of Ukraine reported increased measures taken to maintain electricity consumption following damage to thermal power plants and other critical infrastructure.
Similar massive strikes occurred earlier in November 2024, causing critical damage and shortages in energy supply. The continuing approach seems designed to disable Ukraine’s energy supplies before winter’s arrival, pushing strained resources and civilian morale even harder.
