Vladimir Putin said that attacks on the energy system are aimed at “demilitarizing” Ukraine

Now the strategy is clear. Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that the deadly explosions targeting Ukraine’s power grid, which led to major blackouts, followed the Kremlin’s goal of “demilitarizing” Ukraine. “We assume that in this way we influence the military-industrial complex of Ukraine,” the Russian president said during a meeting in the Kremlin with his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko.

At the same time, Mr. Putin said the explosions were a response to recent Ukrainian attacks on energy infrastructure in Russia, including oil refineries. “We have recently seen a series of strikes at our energy sites and we have been forced to respond,” he said.

Ghost of Winter Last

Putin also assured that the Russian army did not attack Ukrainian electrical installations this winter “for humanitarian reasons.” “We did not want to deprive social infrastructure, hospitals, etc. of electricity,” said the Russian President. In the winter of 2022-2023, Russian strikes left thousands of people in the cold and darkness for long periods of time.

Ukraine’s power grid suffered fewer attacks this winter until March, when a new wave of explosions hit it. On Thursday, some forty missiles and as many Russian drones targeted Ukraine’s power grid, so much so that President Volodymyr Zelensky implored his Western allies to quickly provide his country with air defense systems.