Ukraine fell prey to yet another fresh barrage of deadly Russian strikes on Friday, worsening the already dire conditions for Ukrainians. The attacks have once again provoked accusations of “war crimes” by Russia from the European Union, per AFP.
The aerial onslaught is the latest by the Russian forces who claim that the attacks are aimed to target military-linked facilities. This comes amid a series of embarrassing battlefield defeats for the Russian side.
Here are the latest Updates of the Ukraine-Russia War:
Missiles Cut off Power, Water Supply
The strikes knocked out essentials like water and electricity services in across several parts of Ukraine that is already battling near freezing temperatures.
The national energy provider set off alarm bells and warned Ukrainians that it could take longer to restore electricity after dozens of Russian missiles targeted key infrastructure sites in the north, south and centre of the country.
In a statement accessed by AFP, Ukrenergo said, “Priority will be given to critical infrastructure: hospitals, water supply facilities, heat supply facilities, sewage treatment plants.”
Residents of the capital Kyiv were spotted wrapped in winter coats crammed into underground metro stations after air raid sirens rang out on Friday marking the ninth wave of Russian aerial bombardments since October.
‘Biggest’ missile attack
The European Union’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell denounced the “indiscriminate terror” of the attacks, reports AFP.
In a statement Borrell said, “These cruel, inhumane attacks aim to increase human suffering and deprive Ukrainian people, but also hospitals, emergency services and other critical services of electricity, heating and water” adding that the bombings constitute ‘war crimes’.
Kyiv Takes the Biggest Hit
The capital Kyiv is said to have withstood one of the biggest missile attacks since the beginning of the full-scale invasion. Officials said their air-defence forces had shot down 37 out of 40 missiles, per AFP.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said the water supply had been disrupted and that the metro had stopped running so people could shelter underground.
The Kyiv metro has continued to be a vital resource for the capital, which had a pre-war population of three million. It has been used as a city-wide bomb shelter since the Russian invasion.
Aftermath of Russian Attack in Parts of Ukraine
Power was cut off to Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city. In the central city of Kryvyi Rig, where Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky was born, the airstrikes hit a residential building.
According to the region’s governor Valentyn Reznichenko, “A 64-year-old woman and a young couple died. Their little son still remains under the rubble of the house,” adding that 13 others had been wounded, reports AFP.
Relentless Russian Shelling
According to AFP, about half of Ukraine’s energy grid has been damaged in sustained attacks and the national provider warned Friday of emergency blackouts because of the “massive” wave of Russian attacks.
In the south, fresh Russian shelling in Kherson, recently recaptured by Ukraine, killed one person and wounded three others.
Kherson has been subjected to persistent Russian shelling since Moscow’s forces retreated in November and power was cut in the city earlier this week.
On Thursday, Russian attacks killed 14 people, the deputy head of the Ukrainian presidency Kyrylo Tymoshenko said.
In the Russian-controlled region of Lugansk in eastern Ukraine, Moscow-installed officials said shelling from Kyiv’s forces had killed eight and wounded 23.
(With inputs from AFP)
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