This week, fighting continued to rage across the frontlines, with no major changes on the ground. Russia has stepped up air and artillery strikes on Sumy region, prompting evacuation of the residents. A missile strike on Konotop damaged the city’s heat network. Border villages of the region are becoming unlivable.
Long-range Ukrainian attack drones launched by Ukraine’s security service have hit 12 Russian oil refineries since the invasion. Some in Russia see the attacks as serious. According to Bloomberg, Ukraine’s drone strikes on Russian oil refineries mark a new phase in war.
In other developments this week, Poland and Germany launched an armored capability coalition for Ukraine. The EU will be able to produce enough ammunition to refill domestic stocks and send it to Ukraine, the Czech President said.
Late in the week, Russia revived the tactics of large-scale missile strikes on Ukraine. On Thursday, it fired 31 ballistic and cruise missiles at Kyiv in the first attack on the Ukrainian capital in 44 days. Air defenses shot down all 31 of the missiles, though the falling wreckage injured 17 and caused damage to several neighborhoods in Kyiv and the surrounding region.
Russia launches major strike at Ukraine, aiming to cause large-scale failure of energy system
In the early hours of Friday, Russia launched a major combined drone and missile strike at Ukraine, targeting the country’s energy facilities. Ukrainian Energy Minister, Herman Halushchenko, said it was the largest attack on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure in the recent past. According to Halushchenko, the strike damaged power generating facilities and distribution networks across Ukraine.
The attack also cut power to one of the transmission lines that bring power to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant.