KYIV: A blistering wave of Russian strikes targeting Ukraine’s energy infrastructure killed 11 people on Thursday, a day after Germany and the United States pledged heavy tanks for Kyiv.

The latest wave of attacks came as the Kremlin said Moscow perceived the tank deliveries “as direct involvement in the conflict”. France insisted that neither Paris nor its allies were fighting a war against Russia.

“This should have happened sooner and in bigger quantities,” a Ukrainian doctor called Liza said near the eastern frontline city of Bakhmut, welcoming the long-awaited promise of heavy tanks.

As a result of Russia’s latest missile strikes, 11 people were killed and 11 others were wounded on Thursday, Ukraine’s emergency services said. Earlier in the day officials said that a 55-year-old man was killed in Kyiv by fragments of a missile that was shot down by Ukrainian air defence systems. The Ukrainian army said its forces destroyed 47 out of the 55 missiles launched by Russia.

Since October, Russia has launched regular strikes against energy infrastructure across Ukraine, with temperatures currently near zero degrees Celsius (32 degrees Fahrenheit).

Energy Minister German Galushchenko accused Russia of seeking to “create a systemic failure in Ukraine’s energy system.” Galushchenko said the situation was particularly difficult in the regions of Odessa and Vinnytsia. The situation in Kyiv stabilised by the afternoon, but in the southern region of Odessa on the Black Sea “emergency power outages will continue,” energy provider DTEK said.

Published in Dawn, January 27th, 2023