(FiveNation.com)- Ukraine’s energy grid might be compromised as President Volodymyr Zelensky warns that the country is preparing for a “humanitarian crisis,” according to a report from the defense and national security website 19FortyFive. Zelensky claims that Russian strikes have cut more than 40% of the country’s infrastructure, telling the European Commission for Energy that they have stopped exporting energy to Europe as a result.
“Virtually all” of Ukraine’s non-nuclear power stations have been hit by Russia’s attacks, according to Volodymyr Kudrytskyi, the head of Ukraine’s national grid Ukrenergo.
“This is the biggest missile attack on electricity infrastructure in history,” Kudrytskyi said. “Therefore, the impact is huge. Unfortunately, the situation is critical. They are trying to specifically destroy the Ukrainian power system, and this supplies tens of millions of the population.”
Zelensky called Russia’s strikes “energy terrorism,” saying that they have “discussed further steps to ensure Ukraine’s energy security, as well as the issue of strengthening energy sanctions against the Russian Federation.”
Halting exports may not reportedly be enough for Ukrainians already suffering from blackouts caused by Russia’s efforts to reduce the country’s counter-offensive capabilities in its newly “annexed” regions.
Putin announced the annexation of 15% of Ukraine’s territory, including Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, and the self-declared independent People’s Republics of Donetsk and Luhansk during a speech in September.
Zelensky, who said that Russia launched a “wide-scale” missile campaign, added that Ukrainian forces were responding to the threat and had shot down 18 of 33 cruise missiles before they hit their target.
“Of course, we don’t yet have the technical ability to knock down 100 percent of the Russian missile and drone strikes,” Zelenskyy said. “I am sure that, gradually, we will achieve that, with help from our partners.”
Russia’s attacks reportedly come amid a strike on the Nord Stream pipelines, which Putin attributes to Ukraine, “British experts,” and the United States.
The comment was echoed by a former Pentagon insider that said the United States and Great Britain likely sabotaged the Nord Stream pipelines to prevent Germany from bailing out on Ukraine during its war with Russia after its chancellor said that he was not going to send any more weapons, according to Summit News.
