Ukraine recovers from Russian attack and restores electricity

KIEV, Ukraine (AP) — Power in Ukraine’s capital was largely restored on Friday, authorities said, as the country once again responded quickly and defiantly to the latest wave of Russian missiles and drones targeting critical infrastructure.

In what has become a standard Russian tactic since last fall, Kremlin forces attacked Ukraine from afar after months of stalemate in ground fighting on the eastern front. The aim of these offensives appears to be to weaken Ukraine’s resolve and force its government to negotiate peace on terms imposed by Moscow.

Ukrainian authorities have scrambled to counter the fallout from the latest offensive, part of a recurring cycle of urban destruction and repair that has largely left the tide of a war that has just entered its second year.

The Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based think tank, said in an analysis that “these missile strikes will not undermine Ukraine’s resolve or improve Russia’s positions on the front lines”.

Ukrainian military analyst Oleh Zhdanov pointed out that Russian attacks target civilian infrastructure because they cannot effectively hit military targets.

“The Russians lack data on the location of Ukrainian soldiers and weapons, so they attack civilian infrastructure and use the same old method of attacking civilians to sow fear and panic in society,” he said. he declares. “Ukraine survived the winter, and Russia’s attacks on the energy system in the spring make little sense.”

Electricity and water supplies have been restored in Kyiv, said Serhii Popko, head of the city’s military government. Popko said around 30% of customers in the capital were still without heating and repair work was continuing.

The power supply has been fully restored in the Odessa region of southern Ukraine, the private company DTEK reported on Friday.

Around 60% of homes in the city of Kharkiv that lost power in Thursday’s attacks had already been restored, authorities said, although there was still extensive damage in northwestern areas of Zhytomyr and Kharkiv and northeastern Ukraine.

Another sign that things are returning to normal, Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin made an unannounced trip to Kyiv on Friday.

Marin joined President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and senior military officials at the funeral of one of Ukraine’s best-known commanders, killed in action near the devastated eastern town of Bakhmut.

The funeral of Dmytro Kotsiubailo, who died a few days earlier at the age of 27, was held at the golden-domed St. Michael’s Monastery in Kyiv Cathedral. Many of the thousands in attendance held flowers and knelt in silence as Kotsiubailo’s coffin was carried from the church to Maidan Square.

Zelenskyy and Marin also laid flowers at a nearby memorial for Ukrainian soldiers killed in action.

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Mstyslav Chernov reported from Kostiantynivka.