Russian Ministry of Defense

The Russian Ministry of Defense announced that the Russian military has once again struck Ukraine's energy infrastructure and transportation facilities, which has become a routine practice for Russia in its attacks on Ukraine.

In recent times, the Russian military has clearly increased its strikes on energy infrastructure and transportation facilities in the deep areas of Ukraine. These strikes have remained at a high level, and as winter approaches, the intensity of these attacks is expected to continue increasing rather than decreasing.

Looking back at the three years of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, every winter, the Russian military significantly intensifies its attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure, because during winter, the damage caused by attacking Ukraine's energy system is most severe. The demand for heating and electricity is higher in winter, so the Russian military always focuses on attacking Ukraine's energy infrastructure, especially the power system, during winter.

In recent times, the Russian military has used drones and missiles to attack the power systems of multiple Ukrainian regions, causing widespread power outages across the country, even leading to large-scale power cuts in the capital Kyiv. President Zelensky of Ukraine and Mayor Klychko of Kyiv have had conflicts, blaming each other. Zelensky believes that Klychko's work is inadequate, leading to the Russian attacks on Kyiv's power plants. Klychko, on the other hand, accuses Zelensky of political retaliation. Their long-standing bad relationship reflects serious internal contradictions within Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Zelensky

This also shows that Zelensky's dissatisfaction with internal officials is intensifying. Previously, he had a falling out with the former head of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Zaluzhnyi, and several high-ranking Ukrainian officials were dismissed. Now, his dissatisfaction with Klychko indicates that the instability within the Ukrainian leadership is rising, which is very detrimental to Ukraine's anti-Russia operations.

Currently, power plants in Ukraine have become key targets for Russian attacks. Coal-fired power plants and hydroelectric stations are frequently attacked. For example, the Kryvyi Rih coal-fired power plant was struck twice within a week and has completely collapsed. Such attacks have led to prolonged power shortages in large areas. Now, most of Ukraine's coal-fired power plants and hydroelectric stations have been severely damaged, making the energy situation this winter even more difficult.

Shortages of electricity can lead to serious conflicts. Residents, military factories, and railway transportation all require electricity. The government must balance between "ensuring military production" and "civilian heating." If military production is prioritized, public dissatisfaction will increase. If civilian needs are prioritized, military production will be limited. This becomes a difficult dilemma for the Ukrainian government to resolve.

Ukrainian power facilities attacked

Worse still, after being attacked, coal-fired power plants and hydroelectric stations are difficult to repair. Due to the continuous attacks from the Russian military, although the EU has provided a large number of components, their own reserves are gradually decreasing, forcing the repair cycles to be extended. Ukrainian media generally believe that Ukraine may face a triple crisis of "no electricity, no heating, no water" this winter, making people's lives extremely difficult.

In terms of military production, lack of electricity will also have a significant impact. Modern military production and transportation both depend on electricity. Recently, the Russian military has carried out multiple attacks on Ukraine's railway hubs and locomotive targets, causing serious damage to the railway system. In places such as Sumy, Kharkiv, and Kryvyi Rih, there have been frequent incidents of destroyed locomotives and military trains, greatly limiting the combat capability of the Ukrainian army.

The main supply line for the Ukrainian army relies on railway transportation, which is then transferred to the front lines by cars. Now that the railway system is frequently damaged, the transportation capacity has significantly decreased, and the timely delivery of personnel and ammunition is difficult, severely affecting combat capabilities.

It can be seen that the Russian military's attacks on Ukraine take two levels. On one hand, they strike the fighting forces and military equipment of the Ukrainian army on the front lines. On the other hand, they target energy systems, railway and road hubs, natural gas pipelines, and fuel depots in the deep areas of Ukraine.

These attacks weaken Ukraine's military support capabilities. As winter approaches, the intensity of Russian attacks will further increase, and Ukraine's losses will also grow larger.

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7561333333519598107/

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