In a ferocious escalation, Russia hammered Ukraine’s energy sector with more than 400 drones and 40 varied missiles during the Friday-Saturday night hours. President Zelensky detailed the carnage, pinpointing attacks on power distribution hubs, grids, and generation facilities that could herald widespread outages.
Sharing visuals of rubble and ruin on X, he lambasted the assault: ‘Diplomacy remains an option for Russia each day, but attacks prevail. Supporters of three-way talks must counter this and end Russia’s winter-as-weapon strategy against us.’ Damage assessments confirmed hits in Rivne (apartment block), Ladyzhyn (college HQ), Volyn, Ivano-Frankivsk, Lviv, Kyiv, and Kharkiv, where air defenses continue to engage.
Restoration work presses on under strict security, Zelensky noted, vowing control over the crisis. The timing stings post-Abu Dhabi parleys, where Washington brokered a 157-for-157 POW swap—the largest in five months—yet stalled on peace pillars like land claims and truces.
Ukraine sought ‘dignified, permanent peace,’ per its security chief, but silence on outcomes speaks volumes. With no unified declarations, disagreements fester. These strikes not only sabotage energy but amplify suffering, urging global powers to enforce accountability and safeguard Ukraine’s grid against further sabotage.