Recent Ukraine War: Russia says Christmas Day attack on Ukraine was a success, as Zelensky calls strikes ‘inhumane’

In the bitterly cold Ukraine, attacks on power plants are now a regular occurrencepublished at 08:12 Greenwich Mean Time

08:12 GMT

Will Vernon
Reporting from Kiev

image source, Getty Images

It’s bitterly cold this Christmas morning in Ukraine, and we’re already receiving reports of power outages in several regions as authorities try to contain the fallout from the large-scale attack.

Strikes at power plants have become a regular occurrence in Ukraine. In September, President Zelensky said that 80% of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure has been destroyed by Russian bombs. Since then, nothing has happened in the shelling.

Repair crews have been working under pressure – and under fire – to keep the lights on in the country. Last week, on National Energy Workers’ Day, Zelensky thanked the Ukrainians who “work to bring light … and heat to our homes”.

He promised to restore the damaged facilities. “But all of this is just the superstructure,” the president continued, “underlying the foundation is the day-to-day heroism of people like you, your colleagues and the entire energy sector. We are proud of you.”

And Ukraine comes up with innovative solutions to cope with the onslaught.

A state-owned company says it plans to build a hydroelectric plant underground to keep it safe from missiles and drones. Other companies are working on cutting-edge energy storage devices that can also be shielded from the air.

But it takes time. In the short term, President Zelensky has said that Ukraine urgently needs 10-12 additional “Patriot” air defense systems to keep its cities – and its power grid – safe from Russian attacks.

So far, Western countries have promised to provide far less than that.