Russia has destroyed “all crucial infrastructure” in the city of Kherson, which the Ukrainian army recaptured from Moscow last week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said late Monday.
“On the eve of winter, the Russian occupiers have destroyed absolutely all critical infrastructure. (…) All major facilities in the city and region are being mined,” the head of state said in his usual evening speech after a visit to Kherson.
According to Zelensky, there is no electricity, communication, internet and television.
“The occupiers destroyed everything themselves – on purpose. This is their special operation,” he noted.
“That’s what the Russian flag means: total devastation,” he added, promising a return to normal life.
Ukrainian national company Ukrenergo reported that Russia destroyed key energy infrastructure supplying the entire right bank of the Kherson region and a significant portion of the Mykolaiv region.
“Most of the liberated region of Kherson has been without electricity since November 6. We are doing our best to provide people with electricity as soon as possible,” said Ukrenergo president Volodymyr Kudrytsky.
The recapture of Kherson (south), the only regional capital that Moscow troops managed to control, dealt a serious blow to Vladimir Putin’s offensive.
On a visit to Kherson, Zelensky said the liberation of the city was “the beginning of the end of the war”.
The military offensive launched by Russia in Ukraine on February 24 has already led to the flight of more than 13 million people — more than six million internally displaced persons and more than 7.8 million to European countries — according to the latest data of the UN, which classifies this refugee crisis as the worst in Europe since World War II (1939-1945).
The Russian invasion – justified by the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, with the need to “denazify” and demilitarize Ukraine for Russian security – was condemned by the international community at large, which responded by sending weapons to Ukraine and Russia imposing political and economic sanctions.
The UN presented 6,557 dead civilians and 10,074 wounded as confirmed since the start of the war, underlining that these numbers are well below the real ones.
Source: DN
