Zelenskyi: Difficult situation at the front

Ukraine prepares for new Russian robot attacks against civilian infrastructure, while the fighting in eastern Ukraine rages on.

– The situation at the front line is still very difficult, says President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

In the past two months, Russia has fired more than 1,000 robots and drones with the aim of knocking out power plants and other energy infrastructure in Ukraine.

That’s what the head of Ukraine’s state grid operator Ukrenergo, Volodymyr Kudrytskyi, says according to CNN.

– There is not a single thermal power plant in Ukraine that has not been damaged by the attacks, he says.

Repair work continues after the latest wave of Russian robot attacks on Monday, the eighth of its kind in a row.

Most vulnerable are the regions of Odessa, Kherson and Kharkiv, according to Kudrytskyi. Large parts of the country have also suffered from emergency power cuts in recent weeks.

Ukraine is preparing for new Russian attacks at the same time as the winter makes the situation increasingly difficult, according to Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko.

Stockpiles of equipment are being built up so that technicians can restore the power grid more quickly in the event of the next attack, he announces.

At the same time, the fighting is raging in eastern Ukraine. Russia has continued ground attacks near Bachmut, according to the US think tank ISW.

Even cities such as Soledar, Mariinka and Kreminna are badly scarred after fierce fighting, President Zelenskyy stated in his evening speech on Friday.

– The occupiers have actually destroyed Bachmut. Another city that the Russian army has turned into burnt ruins, says Zelensky.