Ukrainians fear the worst infrastructure attack since the start of the war

Tanya von Arxforeign editor

Ukrainians tremble at the prospect of a devastating missile attack. The Russians are expected to destroy more parts of the infrastructure this week, or so the Ukrainian military assumes. An army spokeswoman said Monday that a Russian warship carrying missiles had been transferred to the Black Sea, indicating preparations were underway, AFP news agency reported.

Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (44) said in his evening video address on Sunday that unfortunately there would be no peace as long as Russia has missiles. This week can be just as difficult as the last. Zelensky also said the military was preparing for the attacks and urged the public to heed the air raid sirens.

No electricity, no heating, no water

The power supply in Ukraine was particularly affected by the rocket fire, but also the heating system and the water supply. Many Ukrainians are currently without electricity, heating and water. That is devastating in the cold months, as the country’s winter is harsh. In addition, there are emergency shutdowns by the national energy supplier and network operator Ukrenergo, which wants to restore the destroyed infrastructure, the “Economist” reports.

General: NATO expects more attacks from Russia on Ukraine in the coming months, reports the Keystone-SDA news agency. Putin wants to “use winter as a weapon of war,” Alliance Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, 63, said Tuesday before a meeting of foreign ministers in Romania. He urged member states to make further commitments for civilian and military aid.

Generators and blankets for civilians

Several countries and aid organizations such as Unicef ​​or the German Red Cross are already helping by providing generators and blankets. They mainly benefit the civilian population. The situation is now dramatic as Ukrainian infrastructure has been severely weakened by the repeated attacks.

The Russian bombings have been causing so-called blackouts for some time, usually on Mondays. That’s why the Ukrainians also talk about “Black Mondays”. The worst attack to date took place on November 23, after which large parts of the country were without power for up to 55 hours.