Ukraine ready to counterattack if Russia strikes energy plants, says Zelenskiy

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President says Ukraine will not only defend its infrastructure but will also respond, as it prepares for attacks this winter.

 

 

Volodymyr Zelenskiy has said Ukraine is preparing for renewed Russian attacks on its energy infrastructure ahead of the second winter of Vladimir Putin’s full-scale invasion of the country – and that the country is ready to counterattack if targeted.

“We are preparing for terrorist attacks on our energy infrastructure,” Zelenskiy said. “This year we will not only defend ourselves, but also respond.”

 

The warning came as Russia looks for new tools to win dominance over Ukraine in its war, which has lasted more than 20 months along frontlines that have grown increasingly static.

Russia has launched assaults on the cities of Kupiansk in northern Ukraine and of Avdiivka, where commanders said they were worried that Russia was seeking to surround and besiege the well-defended city.

Footage posted on Wednesday showed the Russian defence minister, Sergei Shoigu, visiting a command post near the frontlines in eastern Ukraine, where he received a briefing on combat operations planned for the winter months and on training for drone operators, who have become crucial to the war effort on both sides.

Shoigu claimed that the Ukrainian army had “reduced capacity” due to the Russian attack. Meanwhile, footage of the Russian assault indicates high numbers of dead and wounded. British defence intelligence have claimed that Russian casualties have grown by 90% since it began the offensive in Avdiivka and Kupiansk. Little territory has changed hands as a result.

On Wednesday, the Russian parliament approved Moscow’s withdrawal from a global treaty banning nuclear weapons tests, in what Kyiv has called an attempt at “nuclear blackmail”.

 

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[thaibeachlovers]

Did I miss something, but wasn't Ukraine already "counterattacking" with it's much vaunted "offensive" that doesn't seem to have had a breakthrough anywhere?