Ukraine was targeted by a new wave of deadly Russian missiles on Monday, the latest attack to cause massive power disruptions across the country and piled pressure on its beleaguered infrastructure as temperatures plummeted.
instead blamed Moscow ukraine for drone attacks that led to explosions at two of its airfields, killing three soldiers.
The attacks came just after Russia scrapped a price cap imposed by Western countries on its oil exports, warning that the move would not hinder its military operation in Ukraine.
While drone attacks on Russia’s Saratov and Ryazan regions were halted, the Defense Ministry said that the explosions were caused by falling debris.
At the same time, it claimed a “large-scale attack on the Ukrainian military command system and related defence, communications, energy and military facilities”.
Due to heavy strikes, fresh power cuts were announced in all regions of Ukraine.
“Due to the consequences of the shelling… a system of emergency shutdowns will be introduced in all regions of Ukraine,” national electricity provider Ukrainergo said on Telegram.
Alexander Starukh, head of the central Zaporizhia region, said two people were killed on Monday by Russian missiles.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said his country’s military had shot down most of the Russian missiles fired earlier in the day, and engineers had already begun working to restore power.
“Our people never give up,” Zelensky said in a video-statement on social media.
Nearly half of Ukraine’s energy system has already been damaged after months of systematic attacks on electricity infrastructure.
Ukrainians are often left in the cold and dark for hours when the temperature outside drops below zero.
Officials asked residents to charge power banks and prepare water reserves.
UN rights chief Volker Turk, who arrived in Ukraine on Sunday on a four-day visit, had to hold his meetings with activists in an underground shelter in the capital Kyiv as missiles rained down.
Moscow vows to keep fighting
As Russia eases cap on oil price, state-run media released footage of President Vladimir Putin driving a Mercedes car across the Crimea bridge, which links the Russian peninsula to the annexed peninsula, and last month a was damaged in the explosion.
The $60-per-barrel price cap agreed by the European Union, the G7 and Australia aims to restrict Russia’s revenues, while ensuring Moscow keeps the global market supplied.
“Russia’s economy has all the necessary capabilities to fully meet the needs and requirements of the special military operation,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, using Moscow’s word for the Ukraine attack.
“These measures will have no effect on it,” he said.
He said Russia “will not recognize” the measures, which are “a step towards destabilizing global energy markets”.
The limit is the latest of several measures introduced by Western countries against Russia, the world’s second-biggest crude oil exporter, after Moscow sent troops into Ukraine nine months ago.
The measure comes on top of an EU ban on seaborne deliveries of Russian crude coming into effect from Monday.
The embargo would halt sea shipments of Russian crude to the EU, which account for two-thirds of the bloc’s oil imports from Russia, potentially depriving Moscow of billions of euros.
The oil price cap aims to ensure that when Russia sells its crude to non-EU countries, it is not sold for more than $60 a barrel.
The market price of a barrel of Russian Ural crude is currently around $65, slightly above the cap, suggesting the measure may have only limited impact in the short term.
Kyiv initially welcomed the price cap, later saying it would not cause substantial damage to Russia’s economy.
‘Impossible to prepare’
The G7 countries – Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States – have said, along with Australia, that they are prepared to adjust the price cap if necessary.
In recent months, gas prices have skyrocketed as Moscow halted deliveries to the European Union in suspected retaliation for Western sanctions and the bloc struggled to find alternative energy suppliers.
In the Ukrainian town of Borodianka, outside Kyiv, where snow has already blanketed the ground, locals gathered around old wood-fired stoves inside tents to keep warm and cook food during a recent blackout.
“We are completely dependent on electricity… one day we didn’t have electricity for 16 hours,” Irina, who came to the tent with her child, told AFP.
Volunteer Oleg said it is difficult to say how Ukraine will manage in the coming winter months.
“It’s impossible to prepare for this winter because nobody has been in these conditions before,” he said.
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