Defence Ministry: Russia targets Ukraine’s energy grid

THE UK Defence Ministry said on X on December 10 that recent Russian airstrikes against Kyiv and targets in central Ukraine are likely “the start of a more concerted campaign,” aimed at “degrading Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.” 

As Ukraine prepares for the war’s second full winter, Russia appears to be gearing up for a coordinated assault on its energy grid. In a strike on December 7, Russian forces fired air-launched cruise missiles on Ukrainian targets for the first time since late September, according to the Defence Ministry’s report, likely indicating that Russia has been stockpiling these weapons. 

The missiles were launched from near the Caspian Sea towards Kyiv, although damage was low, as Ukrainian air-defence systems were able to intercept most of the missiles before they hit many civilian targets. However, missiles fired the night of December 7 and during the morning of December 8 killed one and injured six in southeastern Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, according to The Kyiv Independent. Dnipropetrovsk Oblast Regional Governor Serhii Lysak reported that 16 houses and five cottages were damaged in the attacks. Of the 19 total Russian missiles fired, 14 were downed by Ukrainian air defence. 

“Not a single enemy projectile reached the city,” wrote Kyiv City Military Administration head Serhii Popko on Telegram.  All missiles flying in the direction of Kyiv were destroyed by our air defences on approach to the capital.”

Last winter, Russia’s missile attacks caused numerous civilian deaths and led to several emergency power outages. This tactic of intensifying missile strikes on infrastructure during the winter months mirrors Russia’s past combat strategies, The Kyiv Independent reports.