Russia Starts New Phase in Ukraine War

Russian forces knocked out part of Kyiv's energy infrastructure on Thursday, a sign that Moscow has moved to a new phase in its war against Ukraine.

Ukraine's Ministry of Energy reported on its Facebook page that Russian shelling had damaged a thermal power plant along the front lines of the conflict. According to the Kyiv Post, Ukrainian energy companies often do not provide the exact location of facilities targeted by Russian troops in order to withhold "sensitive information about the country's critical infrastructure."

Kyiv's energy officials said that damage to the power plant led to the shutdown of two power units. The attack, combined with the quickly decreasing temperatures across Ukraine as the winter months settle in, led to "a temporary shortage of electricity" on the country's power grid.

"[The Ministry of Energy] appeals to consumers to support energy workers—to consume electricity wisely and economically, especially during peak hours of load-drive," the post continued.

Earlier in the day, the ministry reported on its website that 408 settlements were "cut off" from electricity supply due to "hostilities and technical issues." It is unclear how many customers were impacted, but officials said the "situation in the power system is stable and under control."

"Planned shutdowns of household consumers are not foreseen," the ministry added.

Newsweek reached to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine via email for more information Thursday evening.

Officials previously warned that Russia's work to stockpile weapons ahead of the winter meant that Moscow was likely planning a fresh wave of attacks during the colder months. Vadym Skibitskyi, representative for the Main Directorate of Intelligence of Ukraine's Ministry of Defense (HUR), predicted in early November that Russian President Vladimir Putin was likely planning on using the weapons stash to attack Ukraine's energy infrastructure "when electricity consumption reaches its peak" during "the onset of cold weather."

Putin used a similar tactic last winter, when thousands of Russian drone and missile attacks led to energy blackouts across Ukraine. Kyiv officials relied on scheduled mandatory blackouts for citizens throughout the winter to conserve the limited amount of available energy supply.

U.K.'s Ministry of Defense (MoD) reported in September that Russia's attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure from October 2022 to March 2023 were typically carried out with "air launched cruise missiles (ALCMs), especially the modern AS-23a KODIAK." At the time of the British MoD's report, open source intelligence suggested that Moscow was increasing the rate of its cruise missile production, while the use of such weapons was being reduced on the battlefield.

Skibitskyi previously reported that Russia produced "115 high-precision missiles" in the month of October alone, and that the new weaponry included cruise missiles such as Kh-101s, Kalibrs and Iskander-Ks.

"[The Russian military is] waiting for the temperature to drop below zero," Skibitskyi said in an interview with RBK-Ukraine in November. "This will definitely not be primitive attacks like last year ... we are also preparing and understand how they operate, what they reconnoiter and, accordingly, take measures to protect our energy system."

Newsweek sent an email to Russia's Defense Ministry for comment Thursday evening.

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