Putin spoke just hours after Russia conducted a “comprehensive” strike on Ukraine’s energy grid overnight, describing it as retaliation for “continued attacks” on Russian soil using US-supplied Atacms missiles.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky cautioned that any attempts at “Russian blackmail” would encounter a “firm response.”
Last week, Ukraine deployed Atacms and UK-provided Storm Shadow missiles for the first time since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022 to strike targets within Russian territory. This action was taken with the approval of Western suppliers: the United States, the United Kingdom, and France.
The overnight Russian assault lasted several hours and involved waves of drones and missiles sweeping across Ukraine, marking the second such attack this month.
While there were no fatalities, the event left over a million people in Ukraine without power.
Zelensky reported that cluster munitions had been deployed against civilian areas and energy infrastructure.
He described cluster warheads as a particularly dangerous type of Russian weaponry used against civilians, noting that they significantly complicated the efforts of rescuers and repair crews.
Putin stated that the Russian offensive, which involved 90 missiles and 100 drones, also featured a new ballistic missile known as the “Oreshnik.” According to Putin, this missile cannot be intercepted.
According to US officials, Russia is likely in possession of only a limited supply of the experimental Oreshnik missiles and would require time to manufacture additional units.
In his nightly address, Zelensky remarked that Putin “is not interested in bringing this war to an end” and has attempted to “hinder others from ending it”.
“He is escalating the situation to pressure the President of the United States into eventually accepting Russia’s terms.”
The Russian leader stated that Moscow would prevent Ukraine from acquiring nuclear weapons, and if Ukraine were to obtain them, Russia would employ “all means of destruction at its disposal,” as reported by the state-run news agency RIA.
This seems to refer to reports from the New York Times last week, where unidentified Western officials reportedly suggested providing Ukraine with nuclear weapons before U.S. President Joe Biden’s term ends in January.
Zelensky has frequently expressed concerns that the 1994 Budapest Memorandum, under which Ukraine relinquished its inherited nuclear weapons from the USSR, left the nation lacking in essential security measures.
Explosions occurred in multiple cities, such as Odesa, Kharkiv, and Lutsk, due to the Russian attacks.
Kyiv was also targeted in the attacks; however, Ukrainian authorities report that all missiles aimed at the capital were intercepted. According to Kyiv’s military administration, the assault continued for nearly nine and a half hours.
At least 12 areas throughout Ukraine, including three regions in the west, were struck. Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko announced that emergency power outages had been implemented.
In other news, Oleksandr Koval, the head of the Rivne administration, announced that electricity had been cut for over 280,000 residents in the western region. Similarly, Maksym Kozytsky reported that up to 523,000 homes and businesses were without power in the Lviv region. Meanwhile, authorities in Kherson warned they might face an extended period without electricity lasting several days.
In response, Ukrainian authorities have initiated pre-emptive emergency power cuts to minimize the risk of damaging overloads to the country’s grid.
Temperatures are falling, and the country has already seen its initial snowfalls; however, Ukraine’s notoriously severe winter has yet to unleash its full force.
Ukrainian authorities are concerned about a renewed Russian effort to strain the power grid as winter approaches.
They have been cautioning for a while that Russia is accumulating cruise and ballistic missiles to carry out coordinated, nationwide strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
