Information
Russia launched a large-scale overnight assault on Ukraine, firing nearly 300 drones along with 50 cruise and ballistic missiles, as reported by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The strikes mainly targeted energy infrastructure but also damaged residential buildings and railway facilities. At least one person was killed in the Kyiv region, and eight others were injured. Ukraine’s power grid operator, Ukrenergo, reported emergency power outages in several regions, including Kyiv, as attacks impacted areas such as Odesa, Dnipropetrovsk, and Sumy. Officials in Odesa stated that drone strikes caused fires at energy facilities, although these fires were eventually extinguished.
Meanwhile, Russia claimed to have intercepted 86 Ukrainian drones over Russian-controlled territories and Crimea. Authorities in occupied Zaporizhzhia and Luhansk reported power outages and a fire at a fuel depot following Ukrainian attacks, with one person reported killed in Russia’s Belgorod region. This escalation occurs as Moscow intensifies its strikes on Ukraine’s power grid during harsh winter conditions, exacerbating the hardships faced by civilians as the war enters its fifth year.
Source: AFP, Reuters, AP
So What
The apparent collapse of the short-term agreement to avoid targeting energy infrastructure, followed by the resumption of strikes, suggests that current peace talks have stalled and are making little tangible progress. The renewed attacks align with a broader shift in U.S. attention toward Iran, potentially giving President Vladimir Putin more room to prolong negotiations while continuing military operations in Ukraine. In this context, Ukraine may seek to resume or intensify strikes on Russian oil facilities, aiming to further strain Russia’s economy and offset Moscow’s sustained pressure on Ukrainian infrastructure.
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