A week of strikes after the truce announcement
Russia has deliberately attacked Ukraine's energy infrastructure and its oil and gas sector 76 times in the seven days since U.S. President Donald Trump announced an energy truce, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. He said the strikes have continued through the period the arrangement was meant to cover, with power and fuel facilities among the principal targets.[S1][S2][S3][S4][S5][S6][S7][S8]
Zelenskyy said the most recent overnight wave hit substations in the Vinnytsia, Zhytomyr, Khmelnytskyi and Odesa regions, leaving tens of thousands of households without power. Repair teams and energy staff were described as working continuously to bring supplies back, while residential buildings in several regions were also struck during the night.[S1]
According to the president, 12 people were injured in the overnight attacks, two of them children, and two people died. He offered condolences to the relatives of those killed. A separate strike in the morning hit an agricultural enterprise in the Volyn region, where emergency and other services were deployed, he said.[S1]
Drones, bombs and missiles in one week
Over the past week, Zelenskyy said, Russia launched close to 2,700 attack drones, about 1,700 aerial bombs and 66 missiles at Ukraine, the majority of them ballistic. He argued that energy facilities are the central objective of these attacks and that Moscow is attempting to force a blackout.[S1]
The Ukrainian leader contended that Washington should conclude from this that Russia is not moving toward an agreement in return for sanctions relief or a deal. In his account, the Kremlin reads every indication that money can be made as confirmation that its war strategy is paying off and can be sustained.[S1]
Zelenskyy attributed the continuation of the war to Russia's stance rather than to Ukraine's defense of itself, and called for mounting pressure on Moscow so that a peace process has a chance. He thanked those who recognize this and provide assistance.[S1]
