Robert Besser
14 Mar 2023, 22:44 GMT+10
KYIV, Ukraine: Officials in Ukraine's capital Kyiv have announced that the city had most of its power supply restored after the latest Russian missile and drone barrage against key infrastructure.
While ground battles in eastern Ukraine have descended into a grinding stalemate, Russia has repeatedly struck Ukrainian cities with missiles and drones since early October.
Russia's attacks against power stations and other infrastructure are aimed at weakening the resistance of Ukrainians and pressure the government in Kyiv to negotiate on Moscow's terms, according to officials.
Washington-based think tank the Institute for the Study of War noted, "These missile strikes will not undermine Ukraine's will or improve Russia's positions on the front lines."
The Russians are striking civilian infrastructure, because they cannot efficiently target Ukrainian military assets, according to Ukrainian military analyst Oleh Zhdanov.
"The Russians lack data about the location of Ukrainian troops and weapons, so they are targeting civilian infrastructure and using the same old methods of attacking civilians to sow fear and panic in society. Ukraine has survived the winter, and Russia's strikes on the energy system in the spring hardly make any sense," he said.
Power and water were restored in Kyiv, but some 30 percent of households remained without heating, though repair work was ongoing, said Serhii Popko, head of Kyiv's military administration.
Late last week, private provider DTEK said power supplies were fully restored in Ukraine's southern Odessa region.
March 9th's attack by Russia was the largest in three weeks, when more than 80 missiles and drones, damaged residential buildings, killed six people and left hundreds of thousands without heat or running water.
However, in an assessment following the attack, the UK Ministry of Defense said, "The interval between waves of strikes is probably growing, because Russia now needs to stockpile a critical mass of newly produced missiles directly from industry."
The attack was made in retaliation for a recent incursion into the Bryansk region of western Russia by Ukrainian saboteurs, said Russia's defense ministry. Ukraine has denied the claim.
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