5 min read
Photo: The Straits Times
Russia just launched one of the largest attacks of the war on Ukraine’s power grid. Three days after Trump claimed he secured a ceasefire.
Overnight, Russia fired 39 ballistic missiles and more than 120 drones at Kyiv and Kharkiv. The targets were energy facilities. More than 600,000 people woke up without power.
Major Takeaways
Russia launched 39 ballistic missiles and 120 plus drones at Ukrainian energy infrastructure overnight.
More than 600,000 people lost power, three days after Trump announced an energy ceasefire Russia never confirmed.
Trump said Ukraine should select a new leader while military Starlink service to Ukraine was restricted.
The Attack
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the strikes hit 26 power facilities and four oil and gas installations. All three of Kyiv’s combined heat and power plants were hit.
Early casualty reports varied, as they always do in fast moving strikes. At least several people were killed and dozens injured across the regions hit.
Zelensky called the attack deliberate and pointed. He said Russia struck “the very infrastructure covered by the ceasefire announced by the American President.”
Trump announced what he called an energy ceasefire on Sunday, October 11. The Kremlin never publicly confirmed it. Three days later, Russia sent missiles at the power grid anyway.
The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed the strikes, saying its forces hit energy infrastructure in Kyiv, the wider Kyiv region, and Kharkiv. Six power plants were struck in total, according to Moscow.
Ukraine is fighting back. Ukrainian officials said they attacked a Russian data center with long range drones, trying to hit back at targets on Russian soil. The war is expanding, not winding down.
For months, Zelensky has been begging partners for more ballistic missile interceptors. These are among the only weapons that can stop missiles traveling faster than sound. Russia’s ballistic missiles can reach Kyiv in minutes. In some recent attacks, air raid sirens sounded at the same time as the first explosions.
Ukraine also says it is no longer getting early warnings about incoming ballistic missile launches from its partners. Historically, the United States tipped off Ukraine about these attacks. That pipeline appears to have gone quiet at the worst possible moment.
The Starlink Problem
At the same time, Ukraine said military grade Starlink services were restricted, disrupting its operations. Starlink is critical to how Ukraine runs drone strikes against Russia.
The timing raised alarms. Elon Musk, who controls Starlink, had just posted that “Zelensky has gone too far.” Trump had just said Ukraine should select a new leader.
Poland’s foreign minister called Musk out publicly, asking if he was “playing politics” with the service. Ukraine’s presidential adviser warned the restrictions were depriving Ukraine of one of its few ways to defend against Russian drones.
Zelensky, meeting Britain’s prime minister in London on Wednesday, called the restrictions “a pity” and said Ukraine counts on partnership with the United States.
Why This Matters for Us
This is not just Europe’s problem. When energy infrastructure gets hit and oil and gas facilities burn, energy prices move. That hits Black families at the gas pump and on the power bill.
There is also the question of American troops. Every escalation brings the United States closer to deeper involvement. Black Americans serve in the military at high rates. When Washington debates intervention, our families are the ones who answer the call.
And there is the pattern. Trump announces a ceasefire that Russia never agreed to. Russia attacks anyway. Then Trump blames Zelensky and suggests Ukraine needs new leadership. That is not diplomacy. That is abandonment dressed up as toughness.
Photo: Parliament News
What Comes Next
Zelensky is in London asking Britain for more air defense help. European leaders are scrambling to keep Washington on Ukraine’s side. Ukraine says it has liberated ground in the east, though those claims could not be independently verified.
Winter is coming. Ukraine’s grid is damaged. And the American president is publicly siding against the country’s leader while its military communications get throttled.
This is a dark moment. Watch what Washington does next, because the consequences will land on all of us.
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