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Ukraine has sufficient information that Russia is preparing further strikes on the country’s energy sector and infrastructure, including facilities and networks serving nuclear power plants.
This was stated by Rostyslav Palahusynets, Deputy Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the international organizations in Vienna.
“We have sufficient information about preparations for further Russian strikes on our energy sector and infrastructure, including facilities and networks serving our nuclear power plants,”
he said during a meeting of the OSCE Forum for Security Co-operation.
The diplomat stressed that every Russian strike on the energy sector during the harsh winter weakens and undermines the efforts of key states, including the United States, aimed at ending the war.
“Ukraine is being as constructive as possible in diplomacy, while Russia is focused only on strikes and mocking people,”
Palahusynets emphasized.
He also said that during this heating season alone, 256 aerial attacks have been carried out against Ukraine’s energy and critical infrastructure, and that since January 11 Russia has been striking energy facilities almost daily.
“War criminal Putin continues to wage a genocidal war against women, children, and the elderly. This winter campaign has a clear humanitarian dimension: the attacks are synchronized and structured to maximize suffering when temperatures drop to extreme levels and disruptions to heating, electricity, and water supplies become life-threatening,”
the diplomat added.
Palahusynets underscored that the Russian Federation is deliberately attempting to create living conditions aimed at the physical destruction of the Ukrainian people, which in turn corresponds to the definition of Article II(c) of the Genocide Convention.
In addition, the Ukrainian delegation urged OSCE member states to turn unity into action — in particular, to accelerate the delivery of air defense systems and ammunition, expand means of countering missiles and drones, and increase various forms of pressure on Russia to force it to end the war and ensure compliance.
The delegation also expressed gratitude to Poland for the “Heat for Kyiv” initiative, which raised more than $1 million, and to nearly 24,000 donors and countries for supporting Ukraine’s energy sector, including Norway, the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Austria, and others.
Russia’s preparations for new strikes
As a reminder, several days ago Ukraine’s military intelligence said that Russia is considering options to strike nuclear power plant substations in order to force Ukraine to sign capitulation demands after the end of the war.
According to intelligence data, the Kremlin’s plans include leaving Ukrainians completely without electricity and heating.
Over the weekend, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also said that Ukrainian intelligence has information about Russia preparing new strikes on Ukraine’s energy sector and infrastructure.
It is worth noting that as of January 19, amid the difficult energy situation, 17 countries are already helping Ukraine with energy equipment.
