The president of the United States, Joe Bidendescribed as “outrageous” and “horrible” this Thursday the massive attack carried out by the Russian Armed Forces during the early hours against the energy infrastructure of different regions of Ukraine.
“This attack is outrageous and serves as another reminder of the urgency and importance of supporting the Ukrainian people in their defense against Russian aggression,” he said in a statement sent by the White House which assures that Washington is on the side of Ukraine in the face of an attack carried out with around 200 missiles and drones.
Biden recalled that his administration has worked “to help Ukraine increase the resilience of its energy grid” in the face of winter and that the Department of Defense “has delivered hundreds of additional missiles” for the defense of kyiv, as well as other critical weapons. such as “artillery, rockets and armored vehicles.”
“Russia continues to underestimate the bravery, resilience and determination of the Ukrainian people. “The United States stands with more than 50 countries that support the fight for Ukraine’s freedom,” said the US president.
The president of Ukraine, Volodimir Zelenskydenounced that part of the missiles carried cluster munitionsa type of device that “significantly complicates” the work of emergency services and workers seeking to “mitigate the damage” caused by the bombings.
For his part, the president of Russia, Vladimir Putin, speculated this Thursday about a possible attack against Ukrainian operational centers in the capital, kyiv, even with the new ballistic missile developed by Russia, Oreshnikwithin the framework of a war that has already lasted for more than a thousand days.
The NGO Amnesty International condemned the wave of attacks perpetrated by Russia and directed mainly against energy infrastructure, warning that this type of bombing represents a war crime and only contributes to worsening living conditions that are already “unbearable.”
Besides, more than a million Ukrainians They were left without electricity this Thursday due to a massive air attack with missiles and drones launched by Russiawhich left much of the country in the dark and cold.
“There are emergency power outages across the country due to the enemy’s attack on our energy sector. There is no end in sight”said Sergey Kovalenko, CEO of the energy company Yasno.
The attack, which occurred in the early hours of this Thursday, had a devastating scope, mainly affecting the regions of western Ukraine, hundreds of kilometers from the battle front.
“So far, 523,000 subscribers in the Lviv region are without electricity”reported regional head Maksym Kozytskyi. Furthermore, others 280,000 inhabitants They lost power in the Rivne region, and 215,000 more in Volyn. Despite efforts to restore supply, the extent of the damage was still being assessed.
Andriy YermakZelensky’s chief of staff, stated in a message on Telegram: “They are continuing their terror tactics, seeking to plunge Ukrainian civilians into darkness and cut off their heat during the coldest months of the year.””.
This offensive, which adds to the series of attacks on civilian infrastructure, is the eleventh of its kind in 2024, according to the Ukrainian Ministry of Energy.
As temperatures dropped to 0°C in many Ukrainian cities, the situation became even more critical for citizens. “Power engineers are working to ensure backup power supply schemes where possible. They have already begun to restore the service where the security situation allows it,” the ministry indicated.
(With information from Europa Press)
