Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal reported on Sunday that Russian drone strikes severely damaged a thermal power plant in Mykolaiv, southern Ukraine, leaving over 46,000 households without heating as temperatures plummeted below freezing. Shmyhal, via Telegram, asserted that the attack was a calculated maneuver designed to inflict a humanitarian catastrophe by depriving civilians of vital warmth in sub-zero conditions.
According to Ukrainian military sources, of the 143 drones deployed by Russia overnight, 95 were intercepted while 46 failed to reach their targets, thanks to sophisticated electromagnetic countermeasures. The assault also resulted in collateral damage in the Kyiv region, injuring at least one person. In response, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has urgently called on Western allies to bolster Ukraine’s air defense capabilities. He highlighted that Russia now controls 20% of Ukrainian territory and is steadily advancing in the east, as its full-scale invasion nears its third anniversary.
Recent data revealed that, over the past week, Russia had unleashed approximately 1,220 aerial bombs, over 850 drones, and more than 40 missiles against government-held areas. Despite the escalating violence, Russia has yet to comment on these developments, and both sides continue to repudiate accusations of targeting civilians. Zelenskiy emphatically stated, “Europe and the world must be better protected from such evil and prepared to confront it.”
