Russia preparing ‘massive strikes against Ukraine’s energy facilities’

The Ministry of Defense also said Moscow had “(carried) out coordinated strikes” against an industrial facility in Kyiv. A Russian attack launched on Friday against a warehouse in Myla near the Ukrainian capital reportedly killed 38 people, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on X Sunday, with 20 injured and four people missing since the attack. The warehouse attack resulted in fires that damaged at least 50 residential homes.

“In total, this week alone, the Russians have launched nearly 2,000 strike drones, more than 1,600 aerial bombs, and 31 missiles of various types,” Zelenskyy added.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian officials have also said that their intelligence suggests Russia is planning a new ground attack on Kyiv. Pavlo Palisa, deputy head of Ukraine’s presidential office, told reporters that Russian military chiefs have been tasked by the Kremlin’s political leaders with planning and preparing for attacks on both the Ukrainian capital and the city of Chernihiv.

Defense Minister of Ukraine Yevhenii Khmara said Sunday that Russia is considering an additional wave of mobilization: about 300,000 more people this year and another 300,000 next year. “This is a reaction to Russia’s problems in the war, the constant increase in losses at the front. Only the feeling that he is starting to lose this war can stop Putin. This can only be done by force, and only effectively,” Khmara said.

The minister added that Putin’s goal is to “seize all of Ukrainian territory, destroy Ukrainian statehood and present it as a historical contribution to the development of the Russian state.”

Saturday, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said NATO’s Secretary-General Mark Rutte had “his assessment of the situation in the region and on the Ukrainian-Russian front” and that “the escalation from Russia’s side is progressing.”