Dhe Russian armed forces continued rocket attacks against several major Ukrainian cities far from the front on Tuesday morning. By noon, several explosions were reported at power industry facilities and power outages, including in the western Ukrainian region of Lviv. As the day before, the Ukrainian military also reported the successful launch of several missiles near at least four major cities.
Accordingly, since Monday Russia has used S-300 missiles, which are actually intended for air defense; when used against ground targets, their accuracy is significantly reduced. “Shahed” drones, which Russia had recently acquired from Iran and which launch themselves at the target, have also been used again.
On Tuesday, the Ukrainian authorities announced the results of Monday’s Russian attacks: 23 civilians were killed and more than 100 others injured. As of Tuesday morning, 301 towns in five areas of Ukraine were still without power. Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov commented on the air raids on civilian objects with the words of former French Foreign Minister Talleyrand (1754 to 1838): “This is more than a crime, this is a mistake.”
Attacks could ensure further arms deliveries
The attacks showed nervousness and would “have ruinous consequences for Russia,” Resnikov said. But he warned of possible consequences: Russia “consciously triggers a humanitarian crisis that will not only affect Ukraine, but all of Europe.” The destruction of infrastructure “can result in new waves of refugees”. Hundreds of thousands who have already returned to Ukraine will set out again, “and millions will join them.”
Whoever destroys the energy supply also attacks the food supply, the sewage system and the health of the population. Reznikov thanked Ukraine’s foreign partners for their solidarity. After the attacks it will be easier to get new weapons. “Victory will not come tomorrow, but it is definitely closer,” said the minister.
Image: FAZ
In public, the new attacks have caused outrage, but also caused humorous reactions. That the “Klitschko Bridge”, a pedestrian bridge over the slope to the Dnipro River opened in Kyiv by Mayor Vitali Klitschko in 2019, survived an explosion documented on video on Monday, while the Crimean Bridge from Russia to the annexed Ukrainian peninsula was badly damaged last Saturday , caused malice. The Kiev Bridge has “become another symbol of the inflexibility of the Ukrainian people,” wrote the news portal Ukrainska Pravda.
Activist Serhiy Prytula, known for fundraising for national defense, launched a new fundraising campaign under the slogan “You made Ukrainians angry” in reference to Russian President Vladimir Putin. The aim was to buy Ukrainian combat drones. The equivalent of around six million euros came together on Monday.