At least 10 people have been killed in a wave of Russia’s drone and missile strikes on Ukraine.
The strikes targeted residential buildings and power plants. One of Ukraine’s largest energy companies has warned that further strikes could impact the country’s power supply ahead of winter.
Meanwhile, U.S. President Joe Biden has given the Ukrainian military the go-ahead to launch long-range ballistic missiles at Russian territory.
It marks a major shift in Ukraine’s war strategy, nearly 1,000 days since Russia’s invasion.
Background
On 24 February 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a “special military operation” into Ukraine, unleashing a full-scale invasion of the former Soviet territory.
Russian troops crossed the border and missiles were fired at cities. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy vowed to defend his country’s borders.
Thousands of people have been killed in the conflict. Precise figures aren’t known because Russia and Ukraine don’t publish regular data of their casualties.
Airstrikes
Overnight, Russia launched 120 missiles and 90 drones across Ukraine, killing at least 10 people.
Air sirens sounded throughout major cities, including the capital Kyiv, and regional parts of Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelenskyy called it “one of the largest Russian strikes on Ukraine,” since the war began.
In an update on social media, Zelenskyy said a high-rise apartment building was destroyed in the strikes. “There are confirmed fatalities, including children. Many people are wounded,” he wrote.
Energy
Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence said its national energy infrastructure was “the main target of the attack“.
Ukrainian energy provider DTEK confirmed the strikes caused severe damage to an undisclosed number of its power plants.
It said “intense attacks” forced “emergency shutdowns” leading to power outages across thousands of homes and businesses in the Kyiv, Dnipropetrovsk and Donetsk regions.
Recent analysis from the United Nations found that 65% of Ukraine’s energy production capacity had been destroyed since Russia’s invasion in 2022.
In an update published last week, (before the most recent strikes) UN coordinator in Ukraine Matthias Schmale said, “civilian infrastructure has been decimated with over 2,000 attacks now on healthcare facilities and two million damaged homes.”
DTEK CEO Maxim Timchenko warned that “the supply of power to millions this winter” is threatened by Russian airstrikes. Winter temperatures can drop to as low as -20°C in Ukraine.
Biden missiles
Meanwhile, senior U.S. officials have told media outlets that President Joe Biden has approved Ukraine’s request to launch long-range missiles at Russia.
The White House is yet to formally confirm the reports. However, it would mark a major shift in Ukraine’s strategic direction of the war. This is because its missiles – Advanced Military Rocket Technology (ATACMS) – are capable of reaching 300km into Russian territory.
In a video posted to social media, Zelesnkyy said, “These things are not announced. The missiles will speak for themselves.”
Russia has repeatedly warned direct attacks on its territory would be considered a major escalation.
Deputy head of Russia’s Upper House has told the state-run news agency TASS “This is a very big step towards the start of World War Three.”
Ukraine launched a counter-offensive in the border Russian Kusk region. American officials told U.S. media, including the New York Times, that the missiles would likely be used to defend Ukrainian troops based there.
Tuesday will mark 1,000 days since the conflict began.
