Russia prepares for "intense strikes" on Ukraine's energy sources

Russia announced that it is preparing “intensive strikes” on “energy sector facilities” in Ukraine, as both countries have escalated their reciprocal attacks for months. The Russian Ministry of Defense stated via Telegram that “the Russian Armed Forces have begun preparations for intensive strikes on Ukraine’s energy sector facilities in response to the continuous attacks by the Kyiv regime on Russian civilian infrastructure and the oil and energy sector.” Moscow intensified its strikes on Ukrainian power plants during the past winter, causing severe damage to the sector and leading to electricity and heating outages for millions of people. For several months, Ukraine and Russia have escalated long-range reciprocal strikes targeting an increasing number of civilian infrastructures, including warehouses, commercial establishments, oil sites, ports, and ships. These strikes have resulted in civilian casualties. The Russian military announced that it struck overnight a facility in Kyiv that produces asbestos and cement, claiming that its warehouses were being used, according to Moscow, to store explosives. A Russian strike on a warehouse in Myrna, a suburb of Kyiv, that stored ammunition, drones, and explosives, caused a massive explosion and a huge fire, killing at least 38 civilians, according to a toll announced by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who also pointed to “significant contamination” in the area. In response, Ukraine launched an overnight drone attack on an oil refinery in northwestern Russia, causing a fire, according to local authorities.