According to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Ukrainians’ willingness to defend themselves remains unbroken even after the most recent rocket attacks. However, the last wave of Russian missiles once again caused power, district heating and water to fail in large parts of the country. The European Union approved a new package of sanctions against Moscow on Friday.
Zelenskyy: “Rocket worshippers” in Moscow have false hopes
“Whatever the missile worshipers in Moscow hope for, it will not change the balance of power in this war,” Zelensky said in his daily video address Friday evening. Russia still has enough missiles for further massive attacks. “But we have enough determination and confidence to handle our own after these blows.”
Zelenskyy emphasized the effective work of the Ukrainian air defense, which shot down most of the incoming cruise missiles and missiles in the morning. “But unfortunately there were also hits,” he said. “Terrorists need such a mass of missile strikes that at least some of their ‘products’ reach their intended targets.” After the war, the meaning of the word “terror” would probably be associated with “Russia’s insane actions” by most people in the world.
According to its own statements, the Ukrainian air defense system intercepted almost 80 percent of the 76 projectiles in the Russian missile strike. Of the 72 cruise missiles and four guided missiles, 60 were shot down. According to the Kiev military administration, the main blow was aimed at the capital. Of the 40 missiles, 37 were intercepted over the city of three million.
The Ukrainian government is accusing Russia of “terror” over these attacks on the country’s energy supply – aiming to plunge the country into darkness and cold.
EU foreign policy chief calls Russian missile strikes war crimes
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell described Russia’s new massive missile attacks on Ukraine as barbaric war crimes. “These vicious, inhumane attacks are designed to increase human suffering,” he said Friday. The population, but also hospitals, rescue services and other essential services must lose their supply of electricity, heat and water. “These bombings constitute war crimes and are barbaric,” Borrell said.
The restoration of water supply and district heating in Kiev is progressing
After the recent Russian attack on the Ukrainian capital, technicians in Kiev restored part of the district heating and water supply. Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Ukrainian television that about a third of the city’s residents were supplied with district heating and water. The heating and water in the rest of the city should be working again by Saturday morning. At the same time, about 40 percent of the inhabitants have electricity. “We understand that the most important thing for us is to resume work on the subway,” the 51-year-old stressed early Friday evening.
Prime Minister: Ukraine still needs thousands of generators
Given the ongoing Russian attacks on the power grid and the ensuing power outages, Ukraine needs another 17,000 industrial or larger power generators for this winter. Prime Minister Denys Schmyhal gave this number on Friday during a government meeting, the state agency Unian reports. “To date, small and medium-sized companies have already imported about 500,000 smaller generators,” he said. “But to get through the winter we still need about 17,000 larger or industrial generator systems.”
New sanctions against Russia in effect
The ninth EU package of sanctions against Russia over the war in Ukraine is in force. As evidenced by legal texts published in the Official Journal of the EU on Friday night, the EU has imposed asset freezes and entry bans on a further 141 people and 49 institutions. Among them are several deputy prime ministers, ministers and companies from the defense and automotive industries.
Zelenskyj welcomed the new sanctions against Moscow. This package is the ninth, “but clearly not the last,” he said in the evening, a few hours after the most recent Russian missile attack on his country’s energy grid. “Because it’s clear that the pressure needs to be increased.”
Eleven killed in Ukrainian shelling of Luhansk
At least 11 people were killed in an artillery shelling by Ukrainian troops on the Russian-controlled region of Luhansk in eastern Ukraine, local authorities said. Another 20 people were injured in the attack on Lantratowka village, and the fate of another 20 people is uncertain, Russia’s state agency TASS reported, citing regional authorities. The neighboring region of Donetsk also came under Ukrainian artillery fire on Friday. One person died and five other people were injured.
The breakaway regions of Donetsk and Luhansk in the Donbass, supported by Moscow, declared their independence from Kiev years ago. Meanwhile, Russia has integrated the regions into its national territory along with the other occupied parts of Ukraine, in violation of international law. Ukraine wants to liberate these territories – and the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea, which Moscow annexed in 2014. (sda/dpa)
Soource :Watson
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
