Zelenskyy says the Kremlin is gearing up to carry out a major offensive targeting Ukraine’s nuclear power system, in what would deal a major blow to the country’s power grid and cause alarming levels of civilian suffering.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Sunday that Russia is readying itself to carry out strikes against Ukraine’s nuclear power plants, in an attempt to freeze Kyiv into submission by rattling its energy grid.
The Ukrainian president says Russian strikes have intensified in recent weeks and are increasingly targeting energy sites, in a bid to directly increase civilian suffering, in the middle of winter.
The repeated strikes are causing energy outages in multiple regions, with thousands of homes losing access to gas and electricity in the daily attacks.
“The situation in the energy system remains difficult, but we are doing everything we can to restore all services as quickly as possible,” wrote Zelenskyy in a post on X.
Zelenskyy slammed Moscow for showing “no willingness” to end the war, despite ongoing peace efforts, led by the United States, as the war quickly approaches the beginning of its fifth year.
“last night, over 200 strike drones were launched against us. The Sumy, Kharkiv, Dnipro, Zaporizhzhia, Khmelnytskyi, and Odesa regions came under attack. Dozens of people have been injured, including a child. As of now, two people have been reported killed.”
Overnight Russian attacks have spiked in intensity in recent weeks, with barrages getting bigger, and the type of weaponry used getting stronger, inflicting more damage on targets Kyiv says are mainly civilian.
Zelenskyy says this week alone saw more than 1,300 drone attacks, over 1,000 guided aerial bombs and just over two dozen missile strikes of various types, including lethal ballistic projectiles.
He called on allies to boost support to Kyiv to continue to build up its defences to withstand the continued Russian onslaught, and protect the lives of innocent civilians.
“That is why Ukraine still needs more protection – above all, more missiles for air defence systems,” said the Ukrainian leader.
“If Russia is deliberately dragging out the diplomatic process, the world’s response must be decisive: more assistance for Ukraine and more pressure on the aggressor,” he added.
The attacks come as a Ukrainian delegation arrived in Miami on Saturday to hold talks with US officials and representatives of US President Donald Trump.
Kyrylo Budanov, Zelenskyy’s chief of staff, said the Ukrainian delegation, which also includes negotiators Rustem Umerov and Davyd Arakhamia, arrived to discuss “the details of the peace agreement.”
In a message on the Telegram messaging app, Budanov said the team is scheduled to meet with US special envoy Steve Witkoff, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll on Sunday.
Zelenskyy said he instructed the team to update Washington on Russia’s unrelenting strikes, to give his US counterpart a full picture of the realities on the ground.
“(The strikes are) constantly worsening even the small opportunities for dialogue that existed. The American side must understand this,” stressed Zelenskyy.