A Russian warship in the Black Sea is causing concern in Kyiv. The Ukrainian army sees the missile-equipped cruiser as an indication that the next wave of Russian attacks on the infrastructure is imminent. Zelenskyj is preparing the country for new hardships.
Ukraine expects Russia to prepare a new wave of attacks on the country's energy infrastructure. According to an army spokeswoman, a Russian warship with missiles on board was recently transferred to the Black Sea. "This indicates that preparations are underway," the spokeswoman said. "It is very likely that the beginning of the week will be marked by such an attack."
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned the Ukrainians in his televised address on Sunday evening that Russia was preparing new airstrikes. Moscow's armed forces would continue their systematic attack program as long as they had missiles, Zelenskyy said. The head of state added that the army and the entire state were preparing for the attacks - including with Western partners - and called on the population to heed the air alert.
According to the Ukrainian Navy, a total of eleven Russian warships are currently in the Black Sea off the coast of Ukraine, and others are stationed in the Sea of Azov and the Mediterranean. The systematic and targeted Russian bombing raids have brought Ukraine's energy infrastructure to its knees in recent weeks. After renewed attacks last Wednesday, millions of people in Ukraine initially had no electricity.
According to the state electricity supplier Ukrenergo, 27 percent of households still had problems with the electricity supply on Monday. Likewise, emergency shutdowns continued across the country. "Emergency power cuts in the Kyiv region are ongoing. About 40 percent are currently without electricity," said the governor of the Kyiv region, Oleksiy Kuleba, according to local media. "These are the aftermath of last week's massive rocket attack."
In addition, Zelenskyi reported a "very difficult" situation on the front lines, especially in the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine. The fighting has been concentrated there since the withdrawal of Russian forces from the city of Cherson in southern Ukraine more than two weeks ago. According to the Ukrainian Presidency, four civilians have been killed and eleven others injured across the country in the past 24 hours.
