Russia launched a new barrage of missiles and drones in Ukraine on Wednesday, targeting gas infrastructure and other energy resources in western regions in the latest strike on the country's hobbled power system as it nears the center of its ' winter.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Russian forces launched more than 40 missiles during the morning attack and used more than 70 drones overnight. Ukrainian air defenses shot down at least 30 missiles, he said.
“Another massive Russian attack. It's the middle of winter, and the target for the Russians remains unchanged: our energy infrastructure,” Zelenskyy said in a social media post on X.
“Among their goals were gas and energy resources that will maintain the normal lives of our people.”
The capital Kyiv was also attacked, with hundreds of residents taking shelter in underground metro stations across the city, sleeping on yoga mats and sitting on folding chairs with their pets. they have
The governor of Ukraine's western Lviv region said two energy facilities in Drohobych and Stryi districts were damaged. In nearby Ivano-Frankivsk, the governor said air defenses were stopping Russian attacks on facilities.
Both said no injuries were reported.
Ukraine asks allies for air defense support
Ukrainians use natural gas mostly for heating homes and cooking. The country uses gas stored over the summer months for use in the winter, when daily production does not cover consumption.
Ukraine has underground gas storage facilities in the western part of the country, including the Stryi region. Their role has grown since Kyiv refused to extend a gas transit agreement with Russia.
Russia has put up its blasts of Ukraine's power sector and other energy infrastructure from March 2024, eliminating half of available generation capacity and removing a long, ongoing hook across the country.
Ukrainian cities, businesses and residents rushed to install new generation capacities, including solar panels, batteries, generators and other equipment to increase their energy independence and become live through the critical cold months.
Zelenskyy, visiting neighboring Poland on Wednesday, reiterated his demands to Kyiv's Western allies to strengthen Ukraine's air defenses.
“We also discussed licenses to manufacture air and missile defense systems for them, which could be one of the effective security guarantees for Ukraine. This is both reasonable and necessary to implement.”
Trump's advisers do not expect a quick end to war
The final days of Joe Biden's administration have been marked by a series of actions on the Ukraine file. The US announced last week another US$ 500 million in military aid, including weapons and air defense systems.
The weapons are funded through a presidential withdrawal authority, meaning they can be taken directly from US stockpiles.
Washington had previously pledged more than $63.5 billion in security aid to Ukraine since Russia invaded.
US President Joe Biden announced nearly $6 billion in additional military and budget aid to Ukraine, including about $2.5 billion in security assistance to the war-torn country. With Biden's tenure ending in a few weeks, the 82-year-old is using his final days in office to drum up support for Kyiv before President Donald Trump takes office.
Advisers to President Donald Trump are now admitting that the Ukraine war will take months or even longer to resolve, a stark reality check on his biggest foreign policy promise – to reach a peace deal on his first day in the White House.
Two Trump associates, who have discussed the war in Ukraine with the president-elect, told Reuters they were looking at a timeline of months to resolve the conflict, outlining Day's promises 1 as a combination of initiative and a lack of understanding of the volatility of the conflict and the time it takes to build a new administrative staff.
Russia has also sent mixed signals about a possible peace deal, welcoming direct talks with Trump, while dismissing some of the comments his advisors out as unworkable.
Russia has made significant battlefield gains in recent months. While these gains have come at a heavy cost in terms of men and materials, many analysts argue that President Vladimir Putin has an incentive to slow down a deal as he tries to gain control over more Ukrainian territory.
John Herbst, the former US ambassador to Ukraine now at the Atlantic Council think tank in Washington, pointed to comments earlier this month by Vasily Nebenzya, Russia's ambassador to the United Nations, who said that e the peace plans put forward by Trump's advisers “are of no interest.”
Last week the US also unveiled its most extensive package of sanctions to date targeting Russia's oil and gas revenues.
At the same time, Reuters reported on Tuesday that the European Commission intends to ban the import of the main Russian aluminum in its 16th package of sanctions against Russia over the war in Ukraine.
