Ukraine’s energy infrastructure has been “dramatically targeted” for the first time, minister said
FILE PHOTO. Ukrainian rescue workers at work © Ukrainian Emergencies Ministry
About 30% of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure has been damaged after two consecutive days of Russian missile attacks, the country’s Energy Minister German Galushchenko has told CNN. Moscow called the strikes on Monday and Tuesday a response to Ukrainian “terrorist attacks” on Russian soil.
The top Ukrainian official said on Tuesday that his country for the “first time from the beginning of the war” experienced large-scale Russian attacks on infrastructure, according to the US news channel.
He assessed that Europe suffered, too, by proxy, because Kiev had to suspend the export of electricity. Ukraine “helps European countries to save on Russian gas and coal” and wants to “reconnect quickly from the other sources,” Galushchenko stated.
The minister claimed that the Ukrainian energy system remained stable but urged other nations to expedite sending to Kiev air defense systems, to protect its infrastructure from further attacks.
“We send this message to our partners: we need to protect the sky,” he was quoted as saying.
The Russian military launched dozens of missiles on targets in Ukraine, which included its key infrastructure sites. Moscow called the military action retaliation for a number of sabotage plots targeting crucial Russian facilities, including the Kursk nuclear power plant, the TurkStream gas pipeline and the Crimean Bridge. Kiev’s “terrorist tactics” can no longer remain unanswered after last week’s truck bombing of the bridge, Russian President Vladimir Putin said.
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Several parts of Ukraine, including the capital Kiev, reported power outages and other problems with utilities after the Russian strikes. The national power grid operator Ukrenergo asked consumers to switch devices off during evening peak hours and ordered rolling blackouts in some places to limit the load.
