In central Kharkiv, the incessant hum of generators reverberates through every street, a poignant reminder of the city’s struggle to regain normalcy amidst relentless attacks on its energy infrastructure.
Just ten days ago, Ukraine’s second-largest city was plunged into darkness following a devastating and meticulously orchestrated Russian missile assault on its energy grid. This brazen act of aggression marked the largest-scale attack since the onset of the full-scale conflict.
As the resilient residents of Kharkiv mobilize to restore power and semblance of stability, they find themselves confronted with a fresh wave of strikes targeting vital energy supply lines across the nation. These relentless assaults on critical infrastructure have left communities reeling and underscore
The energy system in Odesa, located on the Black Sea in the southern part of Ukraine, was targeted by missiles and drones, resulting in partial blackouts.
However, the damage in Kharkiv, a city in the northern region, is much more severe. Igor Terekhov, the mayor of Kharkiv, has expressed that it will take several weeks to fully restore the energy supply, provided that Russia’s armed forces do not strike the same targets again.
The initial attack on the city’s energy supply was so impactful that it even disabled the air raid siren, which has now been replaced by a screeching noise that is directly transmitted to people’s mobile phones.
The city experiences numerous missile warnings each day, and during one incident on Saturday night, the shockwave from a strike shattered numerous windows in a residential building.
Mr. Terekhov emphasized the gravity of the situation, stating that the damage is extensive and will require a significant amount of time to repair, possibly extending to a couple of months.
Russia’s defense ministry has confirmed that their recent strikes have specifically targeted Ukraine’s power supply, with the intention of disrupting the country’s defense industry. They assert that their objectives for the strikes have been successfully accomplished.
