Moscow considers the suffering of civilians a "result" of Kyiv's refusal to negotiate

Russia launches new strikes on several cities across Ukraine

A display of destroyed Russian tanks and armored vehicles during snowfall in downtown Kyiv.

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New Russian strikes targeted cities across Ukraine yesterday, according to what officials announced, as the series of attacks caused paralysis in the Ukrainian energy infrastructure, at a time when the first snow fell on these areas, while the “Kremlin” considered that the suffering of civilians in Ukraine is “As a result” of Kyiv’s refusal to negotiate with Moscow and its “unwillingness to solve the problem.”

And in Dnipro (central east), eight people were injured, including a 15-year-old teenager, according to the mayor, Boris Filatov, on Facebook.

Two “infrastructure” facilities in this city were affected, according to the Presidency of the Republic.

Near Kyiv, a cruise missile landed, and the Ukrainian defense shot down suicide drones, according to the city's military administration.

An AFP correspondent saw one of these missiles pass over a residential area in the east of the capital.

In the Odessa region (south), the Russians bombed an infrastructure site, wounding three people, according to the regional administration.

The bombing comes as the first snow of the morning falls on Ukraine, which is suffering widespread power outages.

Russian strikes specifically target energy infrastructure, according to Kiev.

And the national electricity company, Ukrenergo, announced the extension of the power outage, on Thursday, due to the "deteriorating situation."

And the company said on Facebook that “due to the severe cold, electricity consumption has increased in the regions of Ukraine,” which “further complicated the situation in the electrical system, after it was already difficult,” adding that the matter led to “wider restrictions” on electricity consumption in Ukraine. all over the country.

The company added, "This is a necessary measure to maintain the stability of the energy system after the sixth Russian missile attack that targeted energy facilities," referring to the recent bombing.

Yesterday morning, snow covered the city of Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, where electricity was cut off from many neighborhoods.

And the region’s governor, Oleksiy Kuleba, warned, on Wednesday, that the coming week will be “difficult,” as temperatures could drop “to less than 10 degrees Celsius.”

For his part, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that the return of the territories controlled by Russia is the only way that will allow an end to the war between the two countries.

Yesterday, Bloomberg News reported that Zelensky's remarks came in an interview at the end of the Bloomberg New Economy Forum in Singapore.

Speaking via video with Bloomberg News Editor-in-Chief John Micklethwait, Zelensky stressed that a mere cease-fire would not be enough, as Ukraine waits for the return of Crimea and Donbass, and the elimination of threats.

Zelensky added, “Crimea is part of Ukraine.

This is not just a state within a state, it is part of our country, part of our sovereignty.

"Therefore, ending the occupation of Crimea and Donbass will put an end to the war," he said.

Zelensky also indicated that Ukrainian officials will go to the site of the explosion in Poland, to take part in the investigation into the killing of two people, on Tuesday, adding that "the most important thing is to conduct an investigation."

On the other hand, the “Kremlin” accused Ukraine yesterday of changing its positions regarding holding peace talks between the two countries, and said that it does not envision entering into public negotiations with it, and called on Washington to push Kyiv towards diplomacy.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in a conference call that the United States is able to take Russia's concerns into account and can encourage Kyiv to return to the negotiating table if it wants to.

He added that Ukraine changed its position regarding willingness to negotiate with Moscow several times during the nearly nine-month-old conflict, and it cannot be relied upon.

"First they negotiate, then they refuse to negotiate, then they enact a law banning any kind of negotiations, and then they say they want negotiations, but public negotiations," Peskov told reporters.

Therefore, it is difficult to imagine open negotiations.

One thing is certain: the Ukrainians do not want any negotiations.

And he considered that the suffering of civilians in Ukraine, who face power outages in the middle of winter after the Russian bombing of energy infrastructure, is a “result” of Kyiv’s refusal to negotiate with Moscow, its “unwillingness to solve the problem, start negotiations, and its refusal to seek common ground.” ».

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