Tuesday,
February 11, 2025
Year : 2, Issue: 24
AFP: Kyiv and Moscow traded long-range attacks on each other’s energy infrastructure overnight, officials in the warring countries said yesterday, allegedly sparking a fire at a Russian oil refinery and fresh power restrictions in Ukraine.
The escalating strikes come ahead of a series of meetings between US and Ukrainian officials aimed at determining a roadmap to end Russia’s nearly three-year invasion.
Naftogaz, the Ukrainian national gas company, confirmed one of its facilities in the eastern Poltava region had been damaged in the “massive” Russian attack overnight.
It added that it was “taking all necessary measures to stabilise the gas supply situation in the Poltava region.”
Local authorities in the region said that nine towns and villages were disconnected from gas supplies.
Power cuts are frequent across Ukraine, the result of waves of Russian attacks targeting the country’s power grid.
Ukrainian Energy Minister German Galushchenko said authorities had implemented emergency power supply restrictions after an attack on gas facilities in Poltava.
“In order to minimise possible consequences for the energy system, the transmission system operator is urgently applying emergency power supply restrictions,” he said.
The Ukrainian president’s chief of staff Andriy Yermak said in response that “missiles from Russia are confirmation that (Russian President Vladimir) Putin is only interested in war.”
Russian authorities separately said Ukraine had launched dozens of attack drones at western and southern regions of the country.
