Electricity workers fix a damaged power line in Kherson, Ukraine. Getty
Electricity workers fix a damaged power line in Kherson, Ukraine. Getty
Electricity workers fix a damaged power line in Kherson, Ukraine. Getty
Electricity workers fix a damaged power line in Kherson, Ukraine. Getty

Russian missiles blow apart Ukraine's rebuilding efforts


Tim Stickings
  • English
  • Arabic

Russia's latest volley of missiles has ravaged Ukraine's power grid once more, at a time when repair works had begun to bear fruit.

Emergency power cuts were brought in after what Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said was a barrage of 70 Russian missiles.

Ukrainian utility Ukrenergo said worsening winter frost would compound the situation after power plants were knocked out by the shelling.

Russia's Defence Ministry claimed responsibility for a “massive attack on Ukrainian military command systems and related defence, communications, energy and military facilities”.

The missile strikes came at a time when Ukraine was poised to switch from emergency to controlled power cuts, after few unscheduled shutdowns were needed at the weekend.

Thousands of engineers have worked to repair the damage to infrastructure caused by the Russian attacks, which have ramped up since October.

“The time that the Russians chose for this attack was connected with their desire to inflict as much damage as possible,” Ukrenergo boss Volodymyr Kudrytskyi told local television.

He said the attacks were launched as Ukraine entered a period of “peak frost”.

Mr Zelenskyy said most Russian missiles had been shot down with the help of western air defence systems.

“But, unfortunately, we still cannot ensure complete security to our sky — there were several hits,” he said during a nightly address that revealed the death of four people.

Ukraine conflict — in pictures

Western powers have said for months that Russia does not have enough missiles to maintain a constant barrage of attacks.

The latest onslaught came two weeks after the last and coincided with the start of a partial European oil embargo against Russia.

The Kremlin said it would not be deterred by an oil price cap introduced by G7 powers, Australia and the EU. The measure is meant to reduce Russian revenue.

Meanwhile, Moscow blamed Ukrainian drones for two explosions at airbases deep within its territory.

The bases in Russia's Saratov and Ryazan regions house nuclear-capable strategic bombers and are 500km from the Ukrainian border.

Two aircraft were damaged and three people killed when the drones crashed after being intercepted by air defences, Russian officials said.

Ukraine has not acknowledged responsibility for what would be its deepest strikes inside Russia since the war began.

“The sites are much deeper inside Russia than previous similar explosions,” Britain's Defence Ministry said in a daily intelligence update.

“If Russia assesses the incidents were deliberate attacks, it will probably consider them as some of the most strategically significant failures of force protection since its invasion of Ukraine.”

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Founded: 2015

Number of employees: 30

Sector: F&B

Funding so far: Dh3 million

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Dust and sand storms compared

Sand storm

  • Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
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  • Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
  • Travel distance: Limited 
  • Source: Open desert areas with strong winds

Dust storm

  • Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
  • Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
  • Duration: Can linger for days
  • Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
  • Source: Can be carried from distant regions
The biog

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Favourite Hobby: Writing and cooking

Favourite Book: The Prophet by Gibran Khalil Gibran

OPENING FIXTURES

Saturday September 12

Crystal Palace v Southampton

Fulham v Arsenal

Liverpool v Leeds United

Tottenham v Everton

West Brom v Leicester

West Ham  v Newcastle

Monday  September 14

Brighton v Chelsea

Sheffield United v Wolves

To be rescheduled

Burnley v Manchester United

Manchester City v Aston Villa

My Country: A Syrian Memoir

Kassem Eid, Bloomsbury

Copa del Rey

Barcelona v Real Madrid
Semi-final, first leg
Wednesday (midnight UAE)

Company%20profile
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North Pole stats

Distance covered: 160km

Temperature: -40°C

Weight of equipment: 45kg

Altitude (metres above sea level): 0

Terrain: Ice rock

South Pole stats

Distance covered: 130km

Temperature: -50°C

Weight of equipment: 50kg

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Groom and Two Brides

Director: Elie Semaan

Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla

Rating: 3/5

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Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

MATCH INFO

Chelsea 0

Liverpool 2 (Mane 50', 54')

Red card: Andreas Christensen (Chelsea)

Man of the match: Sadio Mane (Liverpool)

MATCH INFO

CAF Champions League semi-finals first-leg fixtures

Tuesday:

Primeiro Agosto (ANG) v Esperance (TUN) (8pm UAE)
Al Ahly (EGY) v Entente Setif (ALG) (11PM)

Second legs:

October 23

Real estate tokenisation project

Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.

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Race 3

Produced: Salman Khan Films and Tips Films
Director: Remo D’Souza
Cast: Salman Khan, Anil Kapoor, Jacqueline Fernandez, Bobby Deol, Daisy Shah, Saqib Salem
Rating: 2.5 stars

RESULT

Leeds United 1 Manchester City 1
Leeds:
 Rodrigo (59')
Man City: Sterling (17')

Man of the Match: Rodrigo Moreno (Leeds)

Updated: December 06, 2022, 10:09 AM