Kherson, Ukraine: Russian forces struck eastern and southern Ukraine early Sunday as utility crews scrambled to restore power, water and heating with the onset of snow and freezing temperatures, while civilians were devastated by the recent devastation. continue to leave the southern city of Kherson due to. their apprehension of attack and further.
With snowfall continuing to fall in the capital Kyiv on Sunday, analysts predicted that the frigid weather – with it frozen terrain and fierce fighting – could fuel the conflict that has raged since Russian forces invaded Ukraine more than nine months ago. The effect may increase.
Experts said both sides were already battling heavy rain and muddy battlefield conditions.
Workers are deploying round-the-clock to restore key basic services after a blistering series of Russian artillery attacks on infrastructure began last month as many Ukrainians are forced to cope with only a few hours of electricity per day Were – if any.
State power grid operator Ukrainergo said on Sunday that power producers were now supplying about 80 percent of demand, compared with 75 percent the previous day.
The deprivations have revived the conflict between the President of Ukraine and the mayor of Kyiv. Mayor Vitali Klitschko defended himself on Sunday against allegations by President Volodymyr Zelensky that many Kyiv residents were still without power and that there were insufficient centers to stock food, water, battery power and other essentials for them were set up.
Kitsko wrote on Telegram that hundreds of such centers are in operation, as well as hundreds of emergency generators, saying “I do not want, especially in the current situation, to enter into a political battle. It is ridiculous. “
Sporadic disputes between the president and the mayor have occurred since Zelensky took office in 2019. Zelenskiy has accused Klitschko and the officials around him of corruption, while Klitschko says the president’s office has put him under political pressure.
The Institute for the Study of War, a think tank that has been closely monitoring developments in Ukraine, said reports from both sides indicated heavy rain and mud had had an impact – with more coming in the coming days. Widespread cold is expected along the lines of.
A note published on Saturday said, “It is unclear whether either side is actively planning or preparing to resume a major offensive or counter-offensive at that time, but meteorological factors that are obstructing such operations, will begin to rise.”
The ISW said Russian forces were digging in east of the city of Kherson, from where Ukrainian forces had expelled them more than two weeks earlier, and continued “regular artillery fire” across the Dnieper River.
The think tank also cited reports that the Russian military was moving multiple launch rocket and surface-to-air missile systems to positions closer to the city to “increase the speed of rockets and air-to-air missiles”. can be thrown to the ground.” targets north of the Dnieper River in the coming days.
The city of Kherson, which was liberated more than two weeks ago – a development that Zelensky called a turning point in the war – has faced intense shelling by nearby Russian forces in recent days.
The top UN official in Ukraine said civilians, many of whom lamented the adverse conditions and feared more attacks to come, continued to pour out of Kherson on Sunday.
“The level of destruction, the scope of the destruction, what’s needed in the city and the oblast – it’s massive,” said UN Resident Coordinator Dennis Brown, referring to the region. He said UN teams are providing food, water, shelter materials, medicines and supplies such as blankets and mattresses.
“Certainly time is of the essence before it becomes a complete disaster,” Brown told The Associated Press in Kherson.
The head of the city’s military administration, Galina Lugova, said in an interview that evacuation trains had been lined up and bomb shelters with stoves, beds, first aid kits and fire extinguishers had been set up in all districts of the city. .
“We are preparing for winter in difficult conditions, but we will do everything to make people safe,” Lugova said. Her biggest concern, she said, was “the shelling which is getting more intense every day. Shelling, shelling and again shelling.”
On the streets out of town, some residents felt they had no choice but to leave.
“The day before yesterday, artillery attacked our house. Windows were smashed in four flats,” said Vitaly Nadochi, driving with a terrier on his lap and a Ukrainian flag hanging from a sun visor. “We can’t be there. There’s no electricity, no water, no heating. So we’re leaving to go to my brother.”
Governor Pavlo Kirilenko said five people were killed in the previous day’s shelling in the eastern Donetsk region. Overnight shelling was reported by regional leaders in the Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk regions in the west. In addition, he said that two people were killed in artillery firing in the city of Kurakhov.
Kharkiv Governor Oleh Sinihubov said one person was killed and three others were wounded in the northeastern region.
Russian rockets targeted unspecified rail facilities in Krivy Rih, Zelensky’s hometown, on Sunday, according to a regional official. No injuries were immediately reported.