Russian missile and drone attacks on the power grid leave thousands of Ukrainians in the dark

Russia launched a new barrage of missiles and drones into Ukraine on Wednesday, targeting gas infrastructure and other energy facilities in western regions in the latest blow to the country’s faltering energy system as midwinter approaches.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Russian forces fired more than 40 missiles during the morning attack and used more than 70 drones during the night. He added that Ukrainian air defenses shot down at least 30 missiles.

“Another massive Russian attack,” Zelensky said in a social media post on X. “It’s the middle of winter, and the target for the Russians has not changed: our energy infrastructure.”

“Among their targets are gas and energy facilities that support the normal lives of our people,” he added.

The capital, Kiev, was also attacked, with hundreds of residents taking shelter in subway stations across the city, sleeping on yoga mats and sitting on folded chairs with their pets.

The governor of the Lviv region in western Ukraine said that two energy facilities in the Drohobych and Stry regions were damaged. In the neighboring city of Ivano-Frankivsk, the governor said that air defenses were confronting Russian attacks on the facilities.

Both said no injuries were reported.

Ukraine calls on its allies to provide assistance in the field of air defense

Ukrainians mainly use natural gas for home heating and cooking. The state uses gas stored during the summer months for use in the winter, when daily production does not cover consumption.

Underground gas storage facilities in Ukraine are located in the western part of the country, including the Stry region. Their role has increased since Kiev refused to extend the gas transportation agreement with Russia.

Russia has intensified its bombing of Ukraine’s power sector and other energy infrastructure since March 2024, knocking out half of available generation capacity and forcing long and frequent power outages across the country.

Ukrainian cities, businesses and residents rushed to install new generating capacity, including solar panels, batteries, generators and other equipment to increase their energy independence and survive the critical cold months.

Zelensky, who is visiting neighboring Poland on Wednesday, repeated his appeals to Kiev’s Western allies to bolster Ukraine’s air defense.

He added: “We also discussed licenses for the production of air defense systems and missiles for it, which can serve as one of the effective security guarantees for Ukraine. This is realistic and necessary for implementation.”

Trump’s advisors do not expect a quick end to the war

The last days of the Joe Biden administration were marked by a flurry of activity regarding the Ukrainian file. Last week, the United States announced another $500 million in military aid, including weapons and air defense systems.

The weapons are funded through Presidential Withdrawal Authority, meaning they can be withdrawn directly from US stockpiles.

Washington has previously pledged to provide more than $63.5 billion in security aid to Ukraine since the Russian invasion.

President-elect Donald Trump’s advisers now acknowledge that resolving the war in Ukraine will take months or even longer, a stark reality test of his biggest foreign policy promise — reaching a peace deal on his first day in the White House.

Two Trump aides, who discussed the war in Ukraine with the president-elect, told Reuters they were looking at a months-long timeline for resolving the conflict, describing the first-day promises as a combination of campaign threats and US insensitivity. The complexity of the conflict and the time it takes to form a new administration.

Russia has also sent mixed signals regarding a potential peace deal, welcoming direct talks with Trump, while rejecting some ideas put forward by his advisers as unworkable.

Russia has made significant gains on the battlefield in recent months. While these gains have come at a heavy cost in terms of men and materiel, many analysts say President Vladimir Putin has an incentive to slow a deal as he tries to control more Ukrainian territory.

John Herbst, a former US ambassador to Ukraine who now works at the Atlantic Council think tank in Washington, pointed to comments made earlier this month by Vasily Nebenzia, Russia’s ambassador to the United Nations, who said peace plans put forward by Trump’s advisers It was “nothing of interest.”

Last week, the United States also unveiled the broadest package of sanctions to date targeting Russian oil and gas revenues.

Meanwhile, Reuters reported on Tuesday that the European Commission intends to propose a ban on imports of Russian primary aluminum in the 16th package of sanctions against Russia over its war in Ukraine.