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Sunday, Sep 08, 2024

Russian Attacks with Drones and Missiles Damage Ukrainian Energy Facilities

In the latest Russian air assault targeting vital Ukrainian infrastructure, three thermal power plants sustained damage overnight Thursday to Friday.
The Russian forces launched 99 drones and missiles across various locations in the west and the center of Ukraine, as announced by Kyiv and confirmed by a Ukrainian energy operator. The Ukrainian Interior Ministry stated that the Russian attack targeted 10 areas in the country, causing injuries to many individuals.

“Ukrenergo,” the company operating the electricity network, said on Friday that Russian attacks with drones and missiles hit thermal and hydroelectric power plants, in a new attack on the already damaged energy infrastructure, adding, "The Russians struck again last night energy facilities in a massive and complex attack... thermal and hydroelectric power stations in central and western regions were damaged." On Telegram, the company noted: "The equipment suffered significant damage... and after the attack ended, electricians immediately began repairing the damages."

"DTek," an energy provider, stated in a statement, "The invaders targeted three thermal power stations belonging to the company (DTek). The equipment was significantly damaged. After the attack, engineers began to deal with its aftermath."

Local officials reported that Russian forces attacked infrastructure in the Kamianske area near the city of Dnipro, adding that at least one person was injured.

Ukrainian Energy Minister, German Galushchenko, also said that electricity facilities in the Dnipropetrovsk, Poltava, and Cherkasy regions were attacked.

Ukrainian TV reported that explosions were heard in the Ivano-Frankivsk and Khmelnytskyi regions and the city of Dnipro, simultaneously with the detection of Russian "Cruise" missiles in Ukrainian airspace. It continued on Facebook: "Electricity generation facilities were targeted by drones and missiles."

Russia has intensified its air raids on Ukraine in recent weeks, particularly targeting energy facilities in response to Ukraine's deadly attacks on Russian border areas.

The Ukrainian army reported that its air forces destroyed 58 out of 60 offensive drones launched by Russia the previous night, along with 26 out of 39 missiles.

A military commander said, "The enemy launched a strong missile and air attack on the fuel and energy sector in Ukraine using different types of missiles and attack drones."

Ukrainian electric distribution company "Yasno" stated this week that "DTEK" had lost about half of its production capacity after Russian drone and missile attacks.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said, "Russia continued its barbaric attacks against the Ukrainian energy system," adding that electricity was cut off in some areas without specifying their extent. He continued, "Ukraine needs more air defense systems to secure its critical infrastructure and protect its population."

Following an incident where a Russian missile flew towards towns in western Ukraine, crossing Polish territory for 39 seconds, the Polish military announced an increase in its airspace monitoring operations. The military command explained on the "X" platform at the time that for about 40 seconds, "Polish airspace was violated by one of the (Cruise) missiles launched by the (...) Russian Federation Air Force last night." It added, "The object flew in Polish airspace over the village of Osierdo (east) where it remained for 39 seconds," indicating that military radar systems tracked the missile throughout its flight.

The Polish military continuously monitors the situation in Ukrainian territory, staying alert to ensure the security of Polish airspace. Following this incident, "all necessary measures were activated to secure Polish airspace. Polish and NATO aviation were activated among other procedures."

Kyiv urges its Western allies to speed up and provide more assistance. However, in Brussels and Washington, political divisions have hampered weapons delivery and support to Kyiv in recent months.

Recently, Ukrainian officials have specifically called for more shipments of "Patriot" air defense batteries. This anti-aircraft system was sent to Ukraine for the first time in the spring of 2023.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock warned against continuing the public debate on Ukraine's requests for the German "Taurus" missiles. In statements to the German media group "Funke," issued on Friday, the minister said, "I have commented extensively on the matter of (Taurus) missiles, and I do not think that the ongoing public discussion about it will benefit us in any way."

Baerbock mentioned that part of the Russian war propaganda serves to divide and destabilize Western democracies, stating, "We should not allow this. This is especially true as we are on the eve of elections, as is the case now before the European Parliament elections or state elections in Germany."

The debate has been ongoing for weeks within the ruling coalition in Germany regarding the delivery of "Taurus" cruise missiles to Ukraine, under attack from Russia.

Baerbock, a member of the Green Party, supports delivering the missiles to Ukraine.

German Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck has called for moderation within the German ruling coalition during discussions about military support for Ukraine.

He said, as reported by the "Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung" due for publication on Sunday, "If we now argue about how to provide aid and whether we will deliver a (Cruise) missile of the (Taurus) type, Putin can sit back relaxed. And this would be the dumbest thing we could do." Unlike the Free Democratic Party and the Greens, Chancellor Olaf Scholz of the Social Democratic Party opposes delivering "Taurus" to Ukraine. Statements by the parliamentary group leader of the Social Democratic Party, Rolf Mützenich, regarding freezing the war in Ukraine, have attracted criticism from the other two partners in the ruling coalition.

Habeck emphasized, "We should not accuse each other of endangering peace. The person endangering peace is Putin... The dead of this war are Putin's dead. No one should exploit the situation, and we should not accuse each other of wanting to exploit it too." Asked whether the dispute over "Taurus" missiles would continue, Habeck said that the Federal Security Council ultimately has the final say, highlighting that consensus there is necessary for any decision on weapon deliveries, "If this consensus is absent, we cannot deliver the missiles. And by the way, I think it's entirely correct to consider this very carefully, as the chancellor demands - even if I sometimes come to different conclusions," affirming the importance of not letting the disagreement over "Taurus" missiles obscure the reality of agreement on many other points. Habeck called for understanding the necessity of providing support to Ukraine, clarifying that doing so is in Germany's interest, "Putin not only wants to occupy Ukraine for his great Russian imperial empire, but he also wants to destabilize the liberal democracy outside Ukraine. If Putin is not stopped, he will not cease."
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