On Monday, “massive” Russian missile and drone strikes had already targeted Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, killing at least four people and forcing the authorities to impose power cuts.
Key information to remember
⇒ Four dead in Russian strikes in Ukraine
⇒ Air alerts are in effect Tuesday morning
⇒ Zelensky wants to use long-range weapons
Four dead after new Russian strikes
At least four people were killed overnight from Monday to Tuesday in Ukraine in new Russian strikes, the day after one of the most “massive” attacks since the start of the conflict. Two people were killed in the Kryvyi Rig district (central Ukraine), and five others were injured, during a “strike”, the Ukrainian emergency services announced on Telegram. “Around midnight, a missile hit a hotel and partially destroyed the four-story building,” the same source said.
A man and a woman also died in a Shahed drone strike that destroyed homes in the Zaporizhzhia region, local governor Ivan Fedorov said. Air raid alerts were in effect Tuesday morning, mainly in the north of the country.
“A lot of damage”
Fifteen regions were targeted by the bombing campaign, which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said used “at least 127 missiles and 109 drones,” making it “one of the largest Russian attacks,” he said. Ukraine shot down 201 of the 236 aircraft launched by Russia, Ukrainian Air Force Commander Mykola Olestchuk said, denouncing “the largest missile attack” since the start of the war.
“There is a lot of damage in the energy sector,” Volodymyr Zelensky said in a Telegram address, adding that repairs were underway.
Ukrainian energy distributor Ukrenergo has carried out emergency power cuts to stabilise the grid, briefly bringing rail traffic to a standstill. The Russian Defence Ministry said it had carried out a “massive strike” against military airfields and energy sites. “The enemy is terrorising the whole of Ukraine with its missiles again,” Energy Minister German Galushchenko said.
Washington denounced the strikes as “scandalous”
Washington denounced the strikes as “scandalous”, while London called them “cowardly”. The German Foreign Ministry accused Russia of “trying to destroy the supply” of electricity to Ukraine.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was in Ukraine last week, spoke with Joe Biden on Monday and reiterated his desire for “peace and stability,” according to Indian diplomacy. The American president, for his part, welcomed “the message of peace and the constant humanitarian support for Ukraine” delivered by Mr. Modi, according to the White House.
Zelensky wants to use long-range weapons
Volodymyr Zelensky has called on the West to allow his country to use its long-range weapons against Russia, something it has so far refused to do. kyiv’s surprise offensive in the Russian region of Kursk in early August is aimed at “compensating” for this lack of range, he said.
Some of the missiles launched from Russia on Monday were from the airspace of Kursk, Belgorod and other Russian border regions, as well as Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014, the president added.
Residents take refuge in metro stations
In kyiv, residents have taken refuge in underground metro stations, AFP journalists noted. “No one thought that Russia, which was once our sister, would cause us so much grief,” said Svetlana Kravchenko, 51, who we met at a station in the city centre.
After two and a half years of war, anti-aircraft alarms are frequently sounding over Ukrainian territory.
IAEA chief expected at Russian Kursk nuclear power plant
The Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, is expected on Tuesday at the Russian nuclear power plant in Kursk to assess the situation, following the launch of a surprise Ukrainian counter-offensive in the region.
Rafael Grossi said in a statement Monday that he wanted to “independently assess what is happening” by visiting the infrastructure. “The safety of all nuclear power plants is a central and fundamental issue for the IAEA,” he added.
“A deterioration in security conditions”
At the same time, the Russian army continues its advance in the East in the face of fewer Ukrainian troops. In the eastern region of Donetsk, the authorities have decided to expand the evacuations around Kostiantynivka, located about fifteen kilometers from the front line, due to the “deterioration of security conditions.”
The area around the city of Pokrovsk, an important logistical hub in the region, is “the most difficult” and is the focus of the majority of Russian attacks, Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday.
Fire at oil refinery in Siberia
A fire at an oil refinery in Omsk, Siberia, killed one person and injured six others on Monday, regional governor Vitali Khotsenko said on Telegram. The cause of the fire was not disclosed by authorities. Russian media reported that loud explosions were heard near the refinery, operated by Russian oil giant Gazprom.