Winter is coming. The Russian military is therefore trying to shut down the Ukrainian energy system. In recent weeks, there have been repeated drone and missile attacks on key parts of the infrastructure. The result: power cuts across the country and interruptions to the water supply.
According to Ukrainian sources, the deputy chief of staff of the Russian presidential office is responsible for the strategy. His name is Sergei Kiriyenko (60). At the age of 35, Kiriyenko was prime minister under Boris Yeltsin (†76) for a few months. He was meanwhile head of the Russian atomic energy agency Rosatom and is now considered one of the possible successors to President Vladimir Putin (70).
Convinced to fight the whole west
Oleksiy Danilov (60), secretary of the Ukrainian Security and Defense Council, writes on Twitter: “The main ideologue and lobbyist for the destruction of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure is Sergei Kiriyenko, the first deputy chief of staff of the Russian presidential office, who is healthy. is known for his work at Rosatom knowledge of the energy sector.”
Like Putin, Kiriyenko is convinced that he is not fighting against Ukraine, but against the united West. But it is not certain that he will one day become Putin’s successor. According to Novaya Gazeta, he is notorious in Moscow as a technocrat with little charisma and unable to speak in public.
Spread Power Shutdown
As Ukrainian energy supplier Ukrenerho announced on Tuesday, power restrictions were imposed following Russian missile strikes in the capital Kiev and six other regions. Electricity will be turned off for customers at different times, it says. The Chernihiv, Cherkasy, Zhytomyr, Sumy, Kharkiv and Poltava regions are also affected.
Ukraine accuses Russia of “energy terrorism”. The tactic is intended to plunge people into darkness, cold and fear. Putin wants to get people to flee to the EU to destabilize the situation there with a large number of refugees, Kiev said.
Russia wants to continue attacks
The people of Ukraine have been living with restrictions for weeks: people are being urged to save electricity, especially during peak mornings and evenings. Washing machines and heaters should only run at night if possible and unnecessary light sources should be turned off.
Russia will continue missile strikes on Ukrainian infrastructure, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu (67) said. This would “effectively” destroy objects and reduce Ukraine’s military potential. (no)