Russia’s heavy bombardment of the power grid before winter sets in has been an annual feature of the war, aiming to wear down Ukraine’s appetite for the fight by denying civilians heating and running water.
Russian attacks on nine regions of Ukraine caused emergency power outages for hundreds of thousands of households and damaged numerous homes, wounding at least 15 people, officials said on Friday, as civilian casualties from Moscow’s full-scale invasion climb steeply.
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The latest aerial strikes on civilian targets came as fears mount that a sharp deterioration in relations between Kyiv and Washington this week could leave Ukraine further exposed to Russia’s escalating aerial attacks as the bitter winter approaches.
Russia’s heavy bombardment of the power grid before winter sets in has been an annual feature of the war, aiming to wear down Ukraine’s appetite for the fight by denying civilians heating and running water.
Ukrainian officials have warned Russia is stockpiling ballistic missiles for more attacks in coming months.
On Thursday, Ukraine abandoned a brief truce on energy-related targets that it said Moscow did not heed despite US President Donald Trump's demand for a ceasefire.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy attended a summit of European leaders on Friday who share his concerns about Russian aggression and Moscow’s wider plans on the continent.
The officials in Brussels vowed to maintain support for Ukraine and urged the US to put pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin.
September civilian casualties 85% higher than last year
Russia is blitzing not just Ukraine's power grid but also apartment buildings, public transport, cargo ships, data centres and food stores.
Ukrainian civilians are paying a high price for the escalating Russian attacks, the United Nations human rights office in Kyiv said in a monthly report published on Friday.
At least 328 civilians were killed and 2,105 wounded last month, a total 85% higher than in September last year, the report said, noting that intensifying Russian attacks in October already have killed dozens of civilians, including children.
“The first two weeks of October were among the deadliest periods for civilians in years,” said Danielle Bell, the head of the UN office.
Trump and Zelenskyy barbs raise questions about US support
Tension and uncertainty are gripping Ukraine and Europe after Zelenskyy and Trump publicly made cutting remarks about each other.
On Thursday, Zelenskyy said he felt betrayed by the American president and Trump openly declared his dislike of the Ukrainian leader.
Arriving at the EU summit in Belgium, Zelenskyy thanked the 27-nation bloc for its support from what he said were “real leaders.”
“We want to end this war as (quickly) as possible,” Zelenskyy told reporters. “We don’t see now signals from (the) Russian side that they are ready for this, to end this war. That’s why we have to prepare for the winter.”
The public spat between Trump and Zelenskyy raised the spectre of further reductions in US support for Ukraine’s war effort.
Ukraine is desperately short of the US-made Patriot missiles it needs to protect against Russia’s devastating ballistic missile attacks, despite Zelenskyy’s pleading for Washington to send more.
Zelenskyy complained about a breakdown in Western intelligence sharing and sudden restrictions on the use of Starshield, US company SpaceX’s military-grade version of the Starlink satellite internet service that is the backbone of Ukraine’s drone operations and military communications.
He also slammed Trump’s diesel deal with Russia, which came despite an international effort to sanction Russia and diplomatically isolate Putin over his invasion.
Trump promised to swiftly end the war, but Ukrainian officials have complained he is trying to bulldoze Zelenskyy into surrendering land to Russia.