Russian forces on Tuesday accelerated their assault on Ukrainian power and water infrastructure in what Pentagon officials called a concerted effort “to inflict pain” on civilians as winter looms.
Whether it will be enough to turn the tide of a military campaign that has gone badly for the Kremlin is another question.
Russian drones and missiles hit the capital of Kyiv and other key cities across Ukraine, specifically power plants and other infrastructure. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said 30% of his country’s power stations had been destroyed over eight days, leading to rolling blackouts.
The calculated attacks, Western defense officials said, are the latest proof of Moscow’s evolving war plan in Ukraine. Having lost significant ground to a military counteroffensive, Russian President Vladimir Putin is embracing a darker strategy of cutting off Ukrainian citizens’ access to basic services such as electricity and clean water as winter sets in, Western officials said.
Kyiv and other cities in central and western Ukraine that were relatively quiet after the initial Russian invasion was repulsed are once again facing daily reminders that their country is at war.
The increasingly brutal attacks on nonmilitary targets appear to have slammed shut whatever window may have been open for diplomatic negotiations on a cease-fire.
“Another kind of Russian terrorist attacks: targeting [Ukraine’s] energy and critical infrastructure,” Mr. Zelenskyy said in a Twitter post. “No space left for negotiations with Putin’s regime.”
Some of Russia’s offensive military arsenal has been drained after nearly eight months of war, but Western officials say Mr. Putin has partially replenished his stockpiles with deliveries of combat drones from Iran. Those “kamikaze” drones have played a crucial role in Russia’s attacks on civilian targets, and Tehran appears poised to ramp up its military assistance.
Ukraine and its Western allies have widely dismissed Russian and Iranian denials of the weapons pipeline.
Citing multiple Iranian officials, Reuters reported Tuesday that Iran agreed to ship more ground-based missiles and armed drones to the Russian military. The shipments include the short-range Zolfaghar ballistic missiles and Shahed-136 drones. The drones have been central to Russia’s attacks on Kyiv and other cities.
Despite videos displaying what appear to be clear signs of Iranian missile technology from targeted Ukrainian cities, officials in Tehran insisted Tuesday that they are not taking sides in the conflict and simply want peace.
“Where [the weapons] are being used is not the seller’s issue. We do not take sides in the Ukraine crisis like the West. We want an end to the crisis through diplomatic means,” an Iranian diplomat told Reuters.
British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace made a hastily arranged visit to Washington, reportedly to share intelligence on the emerging Russian-Iranian nexus. According to speculation, the drone and missile shipments could result in a full suspension of the faltering talks with Iran over reviving the 2015 nuclear deal repudiated by President Trump.
New urgency
The Russian attacks have given new urgency to Mr. Zelenskyy’s plea for the West to provide a comprehensive air shield that could neutralize Moscow’s ballistic missile capabilities and its expanding fleet of Iranian drones. Pentagon officials said they were in contact with Kyiv and would work to bolster Ukraine’s air defense systems, though it was not clear how quickly fresh capabilities might arrive on the front lines.
“This is not something new for Russia. They continue to inflict damage on innocent civilians, on civilian infrastructure, as they fail to achieve their strategic objectives along the front line,” Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder told reporters at the Pentagon on Tuesday.
“They’re obviously trying to inflict pain on the civilian society as well as try to have an impact on Ukrainian forces. What we’ve seen so far is Ukrainian resiliency in their ability to get things like their power grids back online quickly,” he said. “In the meantime, our focus will continue to be on working with them to identify what their needs are, to include things like air defense. We’ll work to try to get those capabilities to them as quickly as possible.”
The situation appears most dire in eastern Ukraine, the epicenter of fighting. In the Donetsk province — which Russia claims to have annexed but which officially remains a part of Ukraine — local authorities have urged residents to evacuate as soon as possible. Gas and water services, they said, likely will not be restored by winter.
Near-constant fighting in the northeastern city of Kharkiv and other major population centers have destroyed infrastructure and badly damaged homes. In addition to the massive challenges facing Ukraine’s power generation system, many roofs, doors and windows are damaged or destroyed.
Western military observers said the shift in Russian strategy stems from frustration. Mr. Putin’s army, previously considered one of the world’s best, has made repeated missteps and strategic blunders in Ukraine. At home, anger toward the war effort has grown steadily over the past several months. It reached a near fever pitch last month after Mr. Putin announced the call-up of as many as 300,000 reservists to refill Russia’s depleted ranks in Ukraine.
The wave of air attacks targeting Ukrainian citizens has coincided with Mr. Putin’s appointment of Gen. Sergei Surovikin as the commander of what Russian officials still refer to as the “special military operation.”
In his first television interview since his appointment, Gen. Surovikin effectively confirmed that Ukrainian advances in the east and south had put Russian defenders on their heels.
“The enemy continually attempts to attack the positions of Russian troops,” Gen. Surovikin said. He acknowledged that the situation was particularly difficult around the southern city of Kherson, which Russian occupying forces were struggling to hold.
“Further actions and plans regarding the city of Kherson will depend on the developing military-tactical situation, which is not easy,” the general said. “We will act consciously, in a timely manner, without ruling out difficult decisions.”
With prospects for a decisive battlefield victory dwindling, Mr. Putin now appears set on using winter’s chill as an ally in defeating Ukraine, or at least ensuring so much misery for the population that Mr. Zelenskyy’s government will make concessions to Moscow.
“It is highly likely that a key objective of [the Russian attacks] is to cause widespread damage to Ukraine’s energy distribution network. As Russia has suffered battlefield setbacks since August, it has highly likely gained a greater willingness to strike civilian infrastructure in addition to Ukrainian military targets,” the British Defense Ministry said in a Twitter post.
As Ukraine prepares for winter, other parts of Europe are facing their own potential energy crisis after Russia slashed natural gas deliveries to the continent this year. Europe’s energy supply faces more uncertainty after explosions last month rocked the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines, which stretch from Russia to Europe.
Some European officials have publicly suggested that Russia is responsible for the explosions, but the Kremlin has denied involvement.
Danish police said Tuesday that the two pipelines sustained “extensive damage” and at least 165 feet of metal pipe appear to be missing.
“It is very serious, and this is by no means a coincidence. It doesn’t just seem planned, but very well planned,” Danish Defense Minister Morten Bodskov said.
• Mike Glenn contributed to this article, which is based in part on wire service reports.
• Ben Wolfgang can be reached at bwolfgang@washingtontimes.com.
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