Winter as a weapon against the Ukrainian people

It has become a macabre Russian game in the war in Ukraine: the destruction of critical civilian infrastructure in the cities. In time to put the Ukrainian population out in the cold for the winter, and before Ukraine has installed enough anti-aircraft defenses with foreign aid to handle the barrage of missiles. A race with the stake: human suffering. Winter as a weapon.

Hundreds of missiles and drones have been fired by the Russians at Ukrainian population centers in recent weeks, with power and heating plants and drinking water installations as the main targets. On Wednesday there were seventy, on November 15 even a hundred fell on the cities; not only Kiev, also many other cities. “Energy Terror”, mentions President Zelensky the strategy, a ‘clear crime against humanity’.

The fact that Ukraine’s air defenses have improved thanks to foreign aid is evident from the figures: on Wednesday, 51 of the 70 Russian missiles and drones were taken out of the air. But it’s still not nearly enough. Millions of Ukrainians are without electricity, heating, running water, internet or telephone. Hospitals, the army, emergency services and shops continue to improvise, often on generators. On Thursday, doctors in Kiev heart surgery out with a child – without electricity, with lanterns and headlamps.

Aggregates are scarce, even though neighboring countries are trying to help with the supply of thousands of aggregates. In Kiev alone, half of the inhabitants were still without electricity on Friday. Snow has already fallen in several places in Ukraine; Temperatures in Kiev will drop further below freezing next week.


It makes a solution for the Ukrainian people all the more urgent. This brutal Russian war strategy inevitably leads to a humanitarian disaster, stated the World Health Organization (WHO) this week. In the absence of military successes, the destruction of civilian infrastructure now seems to have become Russia’s main goal: to break the morale of the Ukrainian population. With the ‘by-product’ of new refugee flows in an attempt to cause division and crumbling support for Ukraine in the rest of Europe.

Also read this article: Putin’s goal is to leave Ukraine in the cold and dark this winter

Although mutual artillery fires are carried out daily along the more than eight hundred kilometers long front line, the positions on the ground have been more or less frozen in recent weeks. Ukraine has the initiative in most places, but with its current arsenal of weapons it is mainly dependent on weakening the Russian positions along and behind the front lines.

Since the heavy drone and missile attacks began on October 10, shortly after the successful Ukrainian attack on the Crimean bridge, President Zelensky has been asking allies for advanced anti-aircraft weapons on an almost daily basis. Many countries have sent defense missiles, and most Russian cruise missiles and slower-flying Iranian-made drones are being wiped out — up to about 70 percent, according to the Ukrainians.

But Russia has agreed with Iran to supply the Fateh-110 and the Zolfaghar, ballistic missiles that can carry a much heavier explosive payload and are difficult to shoot out of the air due to their high speed, including for the advanced NASAMS anti-aircraft system that US sent to Ukraine, or Germany’s IRIS-T. Patriot missiles, which include the Netherlands and Germany, are effective against ballistic missiles, but so far there is no question of them being used in Ukraine. The Israeli Iron Dome system could also theoretically protect Ukrainian territory, but Israel is reluctant to support Ukraine in order to maintain good relations with Russia.

A gruesome battle against the clock, with millions of Ukrainians at stake

Ukraine would therefore mainly benefit from carrying missiles that can attack Russian missile bases, but so far the Americans are unwilling to give in to that wish, in order to prevent further escalation.

This makes the missile war a lurid battle against time, with millions of Ukrainian citizens at stake. Under the ongoing Russian terror, they are especially extremely inventive, flexible and agile and respond to any impact with the fastest possible repair of the damage. As Kiev mayor Vitali Klitschko reported on Thursday, water supplies had been restored throughout the city. The question is how long the Ukrainians can hold out – especially if winter really hits.

Also read this article: Will Europe help Ukraine through the winter? ‘We have collected only a drop of support’

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