A wave of Russian missiles rammed hydroelectric power stations and other critical energy and water infrastructure across Ukraine on Monday, with explosions reported near the capital, Kyiv, and in at least 10 other regions.
Hydroelectric power stations, substations and heat-generating facilities were all hit, Ukraine said, while the Defense Ministry in Moscow said it targeted “energy systems” during a devastating morning raid carried out using long-range cruise missiles.
Ukraine’s air command said it shot down 44 of 50 enemy rockets, but electricity and water supplies were affected by an escalation in Moscow’s attacks on vital utilities as winter approached. At least 13 people were injured, police said, and air raid sirens went off nationwide.
Kyiv was also affected for the third Monday of the last four, after months of relative calm. Video footage showed several intercepted missiles shortly after 8 a.m. local time. The governor of Kyiv, Oleksiy Kuleba, said that “massive shelling in the region” had damaged electricity and energy infrastructure. He said residents should expect emergency power cuts. About 80% of Kyiv’s homes were left without water, according to the Kyivvodokanal water supply company.
Russian Tu-90 and T-60 strategic jets flying north of the Caspian Sea and the Rostov region fired the rockets, and Moscow state media showed video of a ship launching Kalibr missiles. They targeted Kyiv, Zaporizhzhia and Kharkiv oblasts, as well as Mykolaiv, Lviv, Zhytomyr, Kirovohrad and Chernivtsi regions.
In a statement on Facebook, Herman Halushchenko, Ukraine’s energy minister, called Monday morning’s attacks “barbaric” and said: “Electrical substations, hydroelectric and heat-generating facilities were hit by rockets.
“I ask all Ukrainians to [areas] which were not affected by the bombardments in order to reduce their electricity consumption as much as possible. Reducing the load on the power grid will help our energy companies quickly restore power to areas that are temporarily out of power. »
Late Monday, Vladimir Putin claimed the strikes were partly a response to drone attacks on the Black Sea Fleet over the weekend and hinted that more actions could follow. “That’s not all we could have done,” he told a televised press conference.
The targeting of substations and hydropower plants marks an escalation of the conflict by Russia. Putin’s calculation is that a weary civilian population will get tired of living in cold, miserable conditions and will pressure the Ukrainian government to make concessions. Zelenskiy ruled out that possibility, saying he would rather live “without you” – that is, Russia – than with light and water.
The electricity trade media publication Electrovesti reported that three large hydroelectric power stations were affected. They included the Dnprovskyi facility in the city of Zaprorizhzhia and the Kremenchuk plant, both on the Dnieper River. The video showed black smoke rising from or near a substation in Kremenchuk, in the Poltava region of central Ukraine.
A third strike damaged the Dniester dam and factory in the west of the country, 10 km from the border with Moldova. The remains of a Russian rocket landed inside the Moldovan town of Naslavcea after Ukrainian air defenses shot it down. The windows of four houses were damaged. The Moldovan government said its airspace had not been violated.
Andriy Yermak, chief of staff to Volodymyr Zelenskiy, said that Ukraine still urgently needs better and more “modern” air defenses, to protect its civilian infrastructure from Kremlin aggression. Kyiv recently received an Iris-T air defense system from Germany. The United States has promised to send eight advanced surface-to-air missile complexes, known as Nasams.
Presidential aide Mykhailo Podolyak said Moscow had carried out “another massive cascading missile attack” on Ukraine’s critical power centers. He sarcastically suggested the world was watching the “whole country” freeze, rather than providing air defenses so rockets could be shot down.
In recent weeks, Russia has intensified its attacks on fossil-fuel power plants and substations that connect Ukraine’s energy grid. Some Ukrainian officials had hoped that the country’s hydropower plants might be spared due to the wider consequences.
The damage could have been much worse. Missiles were successfully shot down over the Vinnytsia and Khmelnytsky regions, according to local officials. Footage released by Euromaidan Press shows a cruise missile intercepted near Kyiv and exploding in mid-air.
In Kyiv, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said critical infrastructure had been hit. About 350,000 people were left without power, he said. “Following strikes on critical infrastructure, part of the capital has been cut off. There is no water supply in some areas. All services are working,” he stressed.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said Russia was “fighting civilians” because it was unable to win on the battlefield. He said it was wrong to describe the latest Kremlin strikes as a “response”, adding: “Russia is doing this because they still have the missiles and the will to kill the Ukrainians.”
Another batch of Russian missiles hits critical infrastructure in Ukraine. Instead of fighting on the battlefield, Russia is fighting civilians. Don’t justify these attacks by calling them a “response”. Russia does it because it still has the missiles and the will to kill the Ukrainians.
— Dmytro Kuleba (@DmytroKuleba) October 31, 2022
By Monday afternoon, life in Kyiv had largely returned to normal, despite warnings from officials that more strikes could take place. The capital’s streets and metro were packed, with people queuing for coffee. Children played in Shevchenko Park, hit three weeks ago by a cruise missile. Only a few people lined up to get water from the park’s Tsarist-era water pumps.
Eugene Kukshtel, a 51-year-old manager, said Ukrainians understand the situation and the need to save electricity and be patient. He said authorities reacted quickly. “It’s a matter of using your head. Everyone did their shopping and got ready. I bought a power bank and a torch,” he explained. He added: “It’s not the most important thing at the moment. The main thing is victory. »
The strikes appear to be Russia’s last attempt to destroy key infrastructure and morale ahead of the cold season. A rocket attack on October 10 caused extensive damage in central Kyiv and killed at least 19 people, and was followed a week later by a “kamikaze” drone attack.
On Saturday, Russia’s Black Sea flagship Admiral Makarov was damaged and possibly disabled during a Ukrainian air and sea drone raid on the Crimean port of Sevastopol. At least three Russian ships were hit. The Kremlin has accused Britain’s Royal Navy of coordinating the operation, a claim the British government denies.
Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Oleg Nikolenko tweeted: “The morning starts with air defense sirens all over Ukraine. Russian missiles hit energy infrastructure in Kyiv and other cities, causing power and water outages. Russia is not interested in peace talks or global food security. Putin’s only goal is death and destruction.
Lesia Vasylenko, a Ukrainian MP, posted: “Kyiv has been under fire for an hour. More power outages. And no water in some parts of town. Putin’s crimes against civilians continue.
Comments are closed.