Winter is approaching in Ukraine and Russia is taking advantage of it mercilessly in its war of aggression. A targeted attempt is made to switch off the power and heat supply. According to Ukrainian data, Russian troops carried out more than 300 airstrikes on power plants in ten days. On Thursday, the electricity had to be temporarily switched off throughout the country. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz accused Russia of “scorched earth tactics”.
But even then Moscow will not win the war, the SPD politician said in a government statement in the Bundestag about the attacks on civilian targets on Thursday. According to the government in Kiev, about 40 percent of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure is now damaged. The Burshtyn thermal power plant in western Ukraine was last hit on Wednesday, Ivano-Frankivsk region governor Svitlana Onyshchuk said. The damage is significant, she explained to Ukrainian television.
“Winter should not be a weapon”
The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) has called for an end to Russian attacks on the population and civilian infrastructure in Ukraine. “All warring parties must respect international law and ensure that civilians and civilian infrastructure are protected in this conflict,” NRC regional director Carlo Gherardi said in a statement on Thursday. “Winter should not be used as a weapon of war.” Gherardi also warned of a new flight movement in the winter.
Meanwhile, Ukraine sees a “growing threat” from a new Russian offensive from neighboring Belarus to the north, which had already served as a haven for Russian troops when they invaded in February. “The aggressive rhetoric of the military-political leadership of Russia and Belarus is intensifying,” said Ukrainian military representative Oleksiy Gromov. The danger of an offensive by Russian troops on the northern front is increasing. This time it could be in western Belarus “to close off the main supply routes to foreign weapons and military equipment entering Ukraine from the west, especially Poland,” Gromov said.
Attack from Belarus feared
According to the Ukrainian armed forces, they are continuing their offensive against the Russian invading forces in the southern Kherson region. 43 Russian soldiers were killed there and six tanks and other equipment were destroyed, the army said on Thursday. According to the Russian occupation administration, 15,000 people have now been removed from the Kherson region in view of the advancing Ukrainian troops. They were taken to the left bank of the Dnieper River. The “evacuation” was announced on Wednesday by the Russian occupation authorities. Kiev condemned the action as “deportation” of civilians to Russia.
According to British military experts, the Russian leadership is considering a major withdrawal of its troops from the Kherson area. This is apparent from the daily intelligence update from the Ministry of Defense in London on Thursday. However, such a project is complicated by the fact that all bridges over the one kilometer wide river have been badly damaged, the British Ministry of Defense reports in a statement on Twitter. As a result, according to British experts, Russia would most likely have to rely heavily on makeshift floating bridges.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
