RUSSIA ROCKS UKRAINE WITH COUNTER-OFFENSIVE UKRAINE SUFFERS POWER OUTAGES

Written by Michael Thervil

RUSSIA ROCKS UKRAINE WITH COUNTER-OFFENSIVE UKRAINE SUFFERS POWER OUTAGES | PHOTO BY THOMAS PETER/REUTERS

[Russia Ukraine counter-offensive] What some are calling a retaliatory response to the heavily suspected Ukrainian assassination of Lt. General Fanil Sarvarov, Russia launched a heavy counter-offensive into Ukraine during the night hours in which over 635 drones and an estimated 38 missiles were launched leaving 3 people killed in the central region of Zhytommy. Although Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky still holds the position that President Putin should stop his counter-offensive, it appears that his pleas have fallen on deaf ears. This latest Russian counter-offensive comes as temperatures in Ukraine reach near zero and are expected to drop into the negative. Across Ukraine there are massive power outages in the Ternopil, Rivne, Kiev, and Khmelntsky regions that have taken a firm grip on the Ukrainian population.

This Russian counter offensive goes beyond responding to Ukraine's suspected direct role in the assassination of Lt. General Fanil Sarvarov as Ukraine has executed a drone strike in Stavropol, Russia in conjunction with several other Ukrainian strikes that were intercepted overnight. Currently, Russia is advancing through eastern Ukraine at a rate that some would say will guarantee that they will achieve their military objectives. Backing this perspective is the fact that it has been confirmed that Russia has “destroyed a fortified strongpoint in Kupiansk” using artillery strikes. The same outcome has been recorded to the east of the Dnipro River in Kherson.

Currently Russia controls 20% of eastern Ukraine as it seeks to establish eastern Ukraine as a buffer zone between itself and NATO. The fighting between Ukraine and Russia is expected to continue despite the Trump Administration's call for both Ukraine and Russia to agree to a Christmas ceasefire deal.