Killer President – Russia’s Vladimir Putin(Image: AP)
Brutal Russian overnight strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure have left large parts of the country facing humanitarian catastrophe amid plummeting temperatures. With the South and South East bracing for well below freezing temperatures, locals are suffering potentially lethal heating, electricity and water supply stoppages.
It is feared that much of Ukraine will suffer plummeting temperatures down to below minus eight degrees in the coming days, as Russia steps up its attacks. The bitter cold means locals, particularly in Zaporizhzhia and Dnipro, are facing having to flock to Ukraine’s emergency “resilience centres” to stay warm and take shelter.
Russian missile hits central Kharkiv(Image: Getty Images)
Russia repeated its longstanding position of declaring Western forces in Ukraine “legitimate targets” on Thursday, days after France and the UK pledged to send troops there in the event of a peace deal. Spokesperson Maria Zakharova said: “The Russian Foreign Ministry warns that the deployment of military units, military facilities, warehouses, and other infrastructure of Western countries on the territory of Ukraine will be classified as foreign intervention.”
She was responding to a “declaration of intent” signed by UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron on of the so-called Coalition of the Willing, where they agreed to deploy a multinational force to guarantee Ukraine’s security. Russia has long opposed the presence of any Western troops in Ukraine. “These warnings have been voiced repeatedly at the highest level and remain relevant,” Zakharova said, characterizing the agreement reached by Ukraine’s allies as a “new militaristic declaration.”
Ukrainian soldier learns how to fire Javelin missile(Image: 65th Mechanized Brigade of Ukrai)
In Ukraine Regional officials urged residents to stock up on water and prepare for extended outages. Emergency shelters offering heat, water, and charging stations – are being deployed throughout the regions and act as heated tents. Lieutenant Andriy Kovalenko, head of the Centre for Countering Disinformation under Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, said the attacks were deliberate.
He stormed: “This is intentional terror against civilians and an attempt to create a humanitarian catastrophe.” Russia has increased drone and missile attacks on energy installations as bitingly low temperatures hit much of Ukraine and diminish civilian morale. Ukraine has responded by repeatedly hitting Russian oil supplies and refineries in a bid to smash the Kremlin’s warchest which is paying for the war. Much of Vladimir Putin ’s war is being bankrolled by oil sales although the clamp-down by the US and countries such as the UK on oil tankers has infuriated Moscow.
Russian President Putin with toppled Venezuelan Nicolas Maduro (Image: Getty Images)
Mykola Lukashuk, head of the Dnipropetrovsk Regional Council, warned there is currently no timeline for restoring power in the worst-hit parts of Ukraine. Lukashuk said: “If you have water at home, make a reserve.”
It came just days after claims by Kyiv’s spies that Russia was planning a terrible “mass casualty operation” so it can blame Ukraine for killing civilians. Kremlin war chiefs wanted to arrange the atrocity, launch it and then use “fake news” messaging to pin the deaths on Ukraine in a new propaganda bid.
Russia hits Ukrainian vegetable oil plant(Image: Dnipro Operative/east2west news)
In a rare public statement Kyiv’s Foreign Intelligence Service – the SZRU- warned of a Russian “armed provocation” against an Orthodox Church. The suggestion was that Moscow may have been planning such an event within hours to tie in with the aftermath of Christian Orthodox Christmas celebrations.
It is believed the plan was thwarted after Kyiv officials exposed it in local press but that it could still take place in the future. Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine (SZRU) had said in a rare public statement that Russia was likely to launch an “armed provocation” against an Orthodox Christian church.
Ukrainian drones attack Russian oil depot in Usman(Image: Supernova Plus/east2west news)
It was thought the strike was planned to take place within the Russian Federation or in a Ukrainian territory occupied by Russia within a Christian Orthodox community. The statement added that Russia was looking at hitting a “site of high symbolic significance” also, perhaps not a church but an iconic gathering site.