Russia continued its assault on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure overnight Saturday into Sunday, a common tactic Moscow has resorted to every winter since launching its invasion of the country in February 2022. At the same time, the possibility of the U.S. sending long-range Tomahawk missiles and Army Tactical Missile Systems, or ATACMS, to Ukraine is prompting “extreme concern” in the Kremlin.
Energy infrastructure attacks grow ‘more vicious’
In a post to X Sunday morning, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, was taking advantage of the current ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas to ramp up his attacks on Kyiv’s energy sector.
“Russia is pouncing on the opportunity that global diplomacy’s eyes are on the Middle East,” Zelenskyy wrote. “Putin escalated the situation at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, and Russia has also made its attacks on our energy more vicious –– to compensate for their failure on the ground.”
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According to The Associated Press, Ukraine’s Energy Ministry and Kyiv regional Gov. Mykola Kalashnyk reported several strikes on critical infrastructure in recent days, including the country’s largest private energy company DTEK, as well as in Donetsk, Odesa and Chernihiv. The strike on a DTEK substation reportedly injured two employees of the company.
“Russia continues its aerial terror against our cities and communities, intensifying strikes on our energy infrastructure,” Zelenskyy posted to X. “The immorality of these crimes is such that every day Russians kill our people.”
The Ukrainian president cited the death of a child who was killed in a church during an airstrike. Over the past week, Zelenskyy said, Russia has launched more than 3,100 drones, 92 missiles and around 1,360 glide bombs into Ukraine’s territory.
Meanwhile, Zelenskyy is expressing hope that a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, brokered by the U.S. and other mediators, could signal the beginning of the end to his own war with Russia. At the same time, however, Zelenskyy has accused Putin of capitalizing on the world’s focus on Gaza to ramp up his aggressive offensive against Ukraine.
In an appearance on Fox News’ “Sunday Briefing,” Zelenskyy said, “This is real success … it gives signals for us and hope that with such pressure, what President Trump used in Middle East to make peace, and I hope that he will use the same instruments, even more, to pressure Putin to stop his war in Ukraine.”
Moscow’s ‘extreme concern’ over long-range weapons
Zelenskyy is continuing to push his Western allies to impose stronger sanctions on Russia and those who buy Russian oil, arguing it’s one of the only ways to cripple Moscow’s military financing. He’s also continuing to request a steady flow of defense aid, including long-range missiles produced in the U.S.
Zelenskyy has spoken with Trump twice in as many days. According to Zelenskyy, the two discussed “all the aspects of the situation: defense of life in our country [and] strengthening our capabilities –– in air defense, resilience, and long-range capabilities.”
It is precisely the possibility of America supplying Ukraine with long-range capabilities, including ATACMS and Tomahawk missiles, that is causing the Kremlin “extreme concern.”
“The topic of Tomahawks is of extreme concern,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told Russian state media. “Now is really a very dramatic moment in terms of the fact that tensions are escalating from all sides.”
Alexander Lukashenko, the president of Belarus and a staunch Putin ally, cast doubt on whether Trump would supply Ukraine with the necessary munitions and implied that the U.S. president does not follow through on his threats.
“Our friend Donald … sometimes he takes a more forceful approach, and then, his tactic is to let go a little and step back,” Lukashenko said. “Therefore, we shouldn’t take this literally, as if it’s going to fly tomorrow.”
Will the US supply Ukraine with long-range weapons?
Back in August, the U.S. restricted Ukraine from using American-supplied long-range weapons against targets in Russia. That followed approval procedures introduced by the Pentagon in the spring that effectively block Kyiv from using the weapons for strikes deep into Russian territory.
However, in early October, the White House announced that it would begin sharing intelligence with Ukraine for strikes inside Russia. At the same time, the Trump administration said it was weighing Kyiv’s request for Tomahawk cruise missiles and other deep-strike systems.
According to multiple reports, Trump recently said he “sort of made a decision” about providing Ukraine with the sophisticated weapons systems. The topic is sure to come up when a Ukrainian delegation visits Washington in the coming days.
