KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — A massive Russian cruise missile barrage and drone movements hit critical infrastructure in Kyiv, Kharkiv and other Ukrainian cities early Monday, cutting off water and power in obvious retaliation for what Moscow called a Ukrainian attack on its Black Sea Fleet.
Russia has stepped up its attacks on Ukraine’s key force plants and infrastructure as the war enters its ninth month, forcing nonstop force cuts.
“The Kremlin is taking revenge on the army against other non-violent people who find themselves without electricity or heating before winter,” said the governor of the Kyiv region, Oleksii Kuleba.
The Russian Defense Ministry said its forces carried out “high-precision, long-range air and sea weapons attacks against the command and power systems of Ukraine’s army. “
“All the movements were achieved. All designated objectives were met,” the ministry said.
Meanwhile, 12 shipments loaded with grain departed Ukrainian ports on Monday despite Russian threats to reimpose a blockade that threatened to spark world hunger, Ukraine’s Infrastructure Ministry said. One shipment transported Ukrainian wheat to Ethiopia, where a severe drought is affecting millions of people. The volume of grain shipments was questioned after the Russian Defense Ministry said last Monday that “traffic along the protection room explained through the Black Sea Initiative has been suspended” due to allegations that Ukraine used the domain to attack Russian forces.
In Monday’s ground attacks, Ukraine’s air force said it shot down more than 50 cruise missiles introduced through Russia.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said Russian missiles and drones hit 10 Ukrainian regions and broke 18 sites, at most common electrical installations. Hundreds of towns in seven Ukrainian regions were left without power, he said on Facebook, adding that “the consequences may have been much worse” if Ukrainian forces had not shot down most of the Russian missiles.
Thirteen other people were wounded as a result of the morning attacks, national police leader Ihor Klymenko said on state television.
Loud explosions were heard in the Ukrainian capital as citizens prepared for work. Emergency facilities sent text messages warning of the risk of a missile attack, and air raid sirens sounded for 3 hours on the morning commute.
Kyiv Mayor Vitaly Klitschko said 80 percent of consumers in the city’s other 3 million people were left without water due to damage to a forced plant. 350,000 to 270,000. To force consumption, the Kyivan government extended the periods between metro trains and replaced electric trolleybuses and trams with buses, Klitschko said. Metro service resumed Monday night.
Across Kyiv, many other people covered themselves, for more than an hour, pumping water by hand from wells to fill plastic bottles and cans.