The Daily Star Ireland
Russian airstrikes overnight left hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians without electricity, according to regional officials. Kyiv had previously warned of a large-scale attack targeting Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. In the Lviv region, approximately 523,000 people were left without power, while 280,000 were affected in the Rivne region and 215,000 in Volyn.
Ukraine’s energy minister described the ongoing situation as a “massive enemy attack” on the country’s power infrastructure, with air raid alerts issued nationwide due to incoming missile threats. The country’s national power grid operator, Ukrenergo, implemented emergency power outages as temperatures dropped close to freezing.
This escalation follows warnings from the UN about increasing civilian casualties, with UN official Rosemary DiCarlo highlighting that Russia’s strikes on Ukraine’s energy grid could make this winter the most difficult since the war began.
DTEK, Ukraine’s energy provider, confirmed that emergency outages were also taking place in Kyiv, Odesa, Dnipro, and Donetsk regions. Meanwhile, Ukraine’s military warned of missile threats targeting Kharkiv, Odesa, and other areas. Kharkiv’s Kyivskyi district was hit by three strikes, though no casualties have been reported.
In political news, US president-elect Donald Trump appointed retired General Keith Kellogg as his envoy to Ukraine, tasked with negotiating an end to the Russian invasion. Trump has suggested he could mediate a ceasefire, though critics worry he may pressure Ukraine to concede occupied territories or abandon its NATO ambitions in exchange for peace.
Kellogg, a strong supporter of Trump, has advocated for using US military aid as leverage to push Ukraine into peace talks. Since the Russian invasion began in February 2022, Ukraine has received nearly $60 billion in US military assistance. However, with Trump’s more isolationist stance, there are concerns that this support could diminish.
Kellogg’s position reflects his view that Ukraine must either negotiate with Russia or face devastating losses. Meanwhile, the Biden administration is urging Ukraine to lower the minimum age for conscription to 18, in an attempt to address a significant shortage of soldiers. Ukraine is struggling to replace battlefield losses while keeping pace with Russia’s military advancements, with a senior US official noting the need for an additional 160,000 troops.
Despite the recruitment crisis, White House officials clarified that the flow of US military aid would not be contingent on changes to Ukraine’s conscription policies.
