A Russian missile strike decimated a key energy facility in Ukraine as Russia continues to lose ground in its war with Ukraine, raising concerns of Europe’s continued energy crisis.
The two countries have been battling over regions in southern Ukraine the Russian army had previously annexed. Ukraine’s army has reported liberating 75 towns and villages just in the last month, although they say things have started to slow.
Ukraine didn’t specify which energy facility was damaged for safety reasons, but said no one was killed. Many Ukrainian villages are without power after the strike, and repair crews have reportedly warned residents of possible future outages.
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Russian missile strikes in the past week reportedly killed dozens of people, as well as damaging residential buildings and power stations. Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday that his military would continue with select missile attacks, with several targets remaining.
“Putin may hope that by increasing the misery of the Ukrainian people, President Zelenskyy may be more inclined to negotiate a settlement that allows Russia to retain some stolen territory in the east or Crimea,” Ian Williams, a fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, told the Associated Press.
As Russia maintains hold of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant— Europe’s largest—worries of ongoing energy issues have persisted. Volatile conditions have seen the power station temporarily lose its source of electricity, although Ukrainian engineers have reportedly restored backup power lines to alleviate the issue, said International Atomic Energy Agency Director-General Rafael Grossi.
Concerns remain as reports of Russia trying to get the power plant’s employees to sign employment contracts with a Russian nuclear energy company. The employees are facing “unacceptable pressure” to sign the deal, said Grossi in a statement Friday.
