Zelensky: Ukraine Will Respond to Russian Winter Attacks

Volodymyr Zelensky, the President of Ukraine, stated that Ukraine will not limit itself to defensive operations this year and will face retaliatory actions if Russia conducts air operations aimed at crippling the national power grid. On Wednesday, November 3, Zelensky wrote on the Telegram messaging app: "We are preparing for the terrorists' attacks on energy infrastructure. This year, we will not only defend ourselves but also respond." With winter approaching, Ukraine is concerned that Russia intends to bomb key energy infrastructure to weaken the morale of the people. Millions of Ukrainians faced power outages and other disruptions last winter due to Russia's missile and drone attacks on power facilities. Meanwhile, Ukrainian officials reported that a Russian drone attack in the early hours of Wednesday, November 3, damaged buildings near the Khmelnytsky nuclear power plant in western Ukraine, injuring 20 people. Reuters reports that it is unclear how much damage was inflicted on the nuclear power plant; however, power lines were damaged, and over 1,800 consumers in the cities of Netishyn and Slavuta near the plant experienced power outages. As Russian attacks continue in Ukraine, Reuters reports that Giorgia Meloni, the Prime Minister of Italy, stated that Europe should not reduce its collective support for Ukraine. On November 3, Meloni expressed before a European Union leaders' meeting in the Senate that European solidarity with Israel against the devastating attack by the Islamist group Hamas earlier this month should not weaken Europe's collective support for Ukraine. Oleksandr Prokudin, the governor of the Kherson region in southern Ukraine, also stated on Wednesday, November 3, that a civilian in the region was killed in a morning airstrike on Kherson. Prokudin noted that Russian forces conducted 35 airstrikes in the Kherson region over the past 24 hours. Earlier this week, local officials issued mandatory evacuation orders for families from three areas of Kherson due to bombing attacks, stating that 802 children and their families needed to evacuate from 23 settlements. Kyiv expelled Russian forces from part of the Kherson region last November after several months of occupation, but Russian forces have continued shelling the regional capital and surrounding areas from across the Dnipro River. Reuters reports on the military capabilities of both sides, noting that Russia, which calls energy infrastructure a "legitimate target," conducted regular long-range attacks last winter using strategic bombers and warships to launch cruise missiles from hundreds of miles away, with Ukraine largely unable to respond. Although Ukraine still lacks such long-range weaponry, it has significantly increased its attack capabilities since then. It has produced drones and gained access to Western weapons such as Storm Shadow cruise missiles and long-range ballistic missiles known as "Atacms." Last week, Ukraine announced that it had used the Atacms missile for the first time, inflicting heavy damage on two airports in Russian-occupied areas.