This week, Russia’s rate of advance on the frontline has slowed. Russia has stepped up attacks on Ukraine’s transportation and energy systems.
After months of fierce and largely unsuccessful fighting near Pokrovsk, in Donetsk region, Russia is redeploying troops from near Pokrovsk to mount an offensive in the region of Dnipro, reports relying on OSINT say.
A Russian drone strike hit a perinatal center in Sumy, causing no injuries or fatalities. Russia has changed the tactics of attacks on Ukraine’s energy grid, targeting select facilities in a number of regions with Chernihiv being one of the hardest hit. Russia also targets Ukraine’s gas production facilities. Recent Russian strikes have knocked out around 60 per cent of the country’s gas production in a span of several days, according to Bloomberg News.
Ukraine is bolstering its domestic capabilities to strike deep into Russia. Ukraine has started using domestically produced Flamingo cruise missiles to inflict damage on Russia’s energy infrastructure, The Economist said on Sunday. The Fire Point company is currently making two or three of the missiles a day, but that number is expected to rise to seven later this month. Ukraine sent more drones at Russia overnight on Tuesday than Russia launched against Ukraine that same day, a Ukrainian officer said. Ukraine has successfully used a combination of domestically produced Neptune and Flamingo missiles at enemy targets, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi told reporters.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday that he has “sort of made a decision” on supplying Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine.
EU pressure builds on Belgium to allow the use of Russia’s frozen assets, the Financial Times said. Systematic Russian incursions into EU airspace are part of a hybrid war that Russia is waging against Europe, President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen said, speaking at a plenary debate of the European Parliament in Strasbourg on Wednesday.
Russia’s major attack on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure leaves parts of Kyiv without power.
Russia carried out a major drone and missile attack on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure overnight on Friday, killing a child in Zaporizhzhia, injuring 20 people across the country and cutting off power to nine regions. In Kyiv, the strike triggered a fire in a 17-story apartment building, injuring 12 people, and caused power outages and disruptions in water supply. The capital’s left bank was plunged into darkness with power supply being gradually restored throughout the day. Repair works are underway, but the situation is difficult, Kyiv mayor, Vitaliy Klychko said. Private energy company DTEK said it was working to restore power supply and that electricity will first reach critical infrastructure.