Russia's Extensive Attack on Ukraine's Infrastructure Leaves 'One Million People Without Power'

Ukrainian officials say Russia has once again targeted Ukraine's energy infrastructure with a large-scale attack. According to reports, these attacks occurred on Thursday, December 8, in waves of missile and drone strikes, leaving 'over one million' citizens in western Ukraine, hundreds of kilometers away from the front lines, without power in freezing temperatures. Reports indicate that explosions were heard in the capital, Kyiv, early Thursday morning, with Russian missiles fired towards Kharkiv, Odesa, and eight other regions. Herman Halushchenko, Ukraine's energy minister, announced on social media: 'Our energy sector has once again come under extensive attack from the enemy. Attacks on energy facilities across Ukraine continue.' Following these widespread attacks, Ukraine's national electricity grid company, Ukrenergo, was forced to quickly implement emergency power outages in Kyiv, Odesa, Dnipro, and Donetsk regions. Regional officials reported that Russia's nighttime attacks have left hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians without electricity. Maxim Kozitsky, head of the Lviv region, stated on social media: 'Currently, 523,000 customers in the Lviv region are without power.' Officials also reported that 280,000 people in the Rivne region in western Ukraine and another 215,000 in the Volyn region have been deprived of electricity. This event occurs as temperatures across Ukraine have dropped to around zero degrees Celsius. Earlier this month, Rosemary DiCarlo, a senior UN official, warned that targeting Ukraine's energy infrastructure by Moscow could make this winter 'the hardest winter since the war began' nearly three years ago. Officials in Kharkiv reported that three attacks hit the Kyiv region in the northeast of the country. According to Ihor Polishchuk, the mayor of Lutsk in northwestern Ukraine, 'explosion sounds were heard again,' but no reports of casualties or potential damages have been provided so far. Meanwhile, the Russian Defense Ministry claimed on Thursday that it had destroyed 25 Ukrainian drones in four regions, including Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014. The latest round of intense Russian missile attacks on Ukraine comes a day after Donald Trump, the elected President of the United States, appointed Keith Kellogg, a retired general loyal to him, as his special envoy to Ukraine to help end the Russia-Ukraine war. Reuters reported that the Biden administration is providing an additional $725 million in military aid to Ukraine. The new nighttime attacks also follow two weeks of intensified fighting in which both sides have deployed new weapons in a bid for advantage ahead of Trump's presidency in January. Earlier this week, Russia announced it was preparing retaliation for Ukraine's attacks on Russian territory using American ATACMS missiles. Since receiving authorization from the White House for deep strikes into Russian territory, Ukraine has conducted at least three attacks on Russian border areas with these missiles. In response to the first attack, Moscow struck the city of Dnipro, Ukraine, with a previously unseen hypersonic ballistic missile. Russian President Vladimir Putin, in a recent fiery speech, warned that 'if they allow their weapons to be used by Ukraine to attack Russia, this hypersonic missile with nuclear capabilities could be used against Western countries.' Following these developments, reports indicate that Joe Biden, the President of the United States, intends to approve an additional $725 million in weaponry for Ukraine before leaving the White House in January 2025. According to Reuters and American officials, the Biden administration aims to provide various anti-tank weapons, including land mines, drones, Stinger missiles, and ammunition for HIMARS artillery systems to the Ukrainian military. The European Union is preparing a new sanctions package against Russia. According to the German news agency, the EU is considering a new sanctions package against Russia that includes targeting Chinese drone manufacturers for Russia's war in Ukraine and actions against Russia's 'shadow fleet.' This fleet, made up of old and uninsured Western ships, is used to circumvent the price cap on Russian oil exports and poses environmental risks. Britain recently sanctioned 30 ships from this fleet, and the EU plans to target about 50 ships. Decisions on this sanctions package will be made by the end of the year.