Ukraine announced on Monday that it had received more air defense systems from Western military allies, as officials in Kyiv said the supply situation was “strained” after protracted Russian attacks on power plants.
Attacks by Moscow forces, including using Iranian-made drones, last month have destroyed around 40 percent of Ukraine’s power plants and the government has urged Ukrainians to maximize electricity savings.
Kyiv has been rocked by a barrage of Russian attacks on the first day of each week for nearly a month, but air raid sirens were silent on Monday and residents were outside as usual.
In a gray and foggy Kyiv – conditions military observers say make low-altitude missile and drone attacks more difficult – residents were unfazed by the threat of fresh strikes on Monday.
“It’s not just on Mondays to be honest, it’s been eight months since we know this can happen any day and we’ve adjusted. I will not change my routine for this. I come to work … like everyone else,” 21-year-old Kiev native Alyona Plekh told AFP.
Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov announced Monday that Ukraine has received the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System (NASAMS) and Italy’s Aspide air defenses, complementing weapons supplied by Germany.
“NASAMS and Aspide air defense systems have arrived in Ukraine! These weapons will significantly strengthen the Ukrainian army and make our skies safer,” Reznikov said on social media.
“We will continue to shoot down the enemy targets that attack us. Many thanks to our partners – Norway, Spain and the USA,” added Reznikov.
Weeks of Russian attacks have led to widespread power outages and curbs on energy use across Ukraine, and authorities in the capital have urged residents and businesses to reduce consumption.
– Energy ‘Battle’ –
“The situation in the energy system is tense. We ask all residents of the region to support the energy workers in the struggle on the energy front. To do this, use electricity sparingly,” the city administration said in a statement.
These requests come just a day after Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko warned of a possible total blackout in the capital, saying city authorities were preparing for the worst and preparing for “different scenarios”.
The Ukrainian presidency, meanwhile, said on Monday that Russia had fired four rockets and carried out more than 24 airstrikes on Ukraine in the past 24 hours.
Deputy President Kyrylo Tymoshenko said one person was killed by Russian shelling in Ukraine’s partially Russian-controlled Zaporizhia region and another in the northeastern Sumy region.
These attacks came a day after Russian-installed authorities in Ukraine’s southern region of Kherson said attacks by Kyiv forces cut power and electricity in the region’s capital, also known as Kherson.
But authorities said on Monday that power had been partially restored in the city, which Ukrainian forces had been slowly advancing towards for weeks, and said “all critical infrastructure” in the city was back online.
Moscow’s occupying forces in Kherson have vowed to turn the city into a “fortress” as Ukraine mounts a counter-offensive in the south.
They’ve been organizing a civilian withdrawal from the Kherson region for weeks while Ukrainian troops advance in what Kyiv calls “deportations.”
