The Kremlin’s air strikes on civilian infrastructure are aimed at stemming western weapon supplies to Ukraine, according to Russia’s foreign minister Sergei Lavrov.
Vladimir Putin’s top diplomat made the unusual claim hours after Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky said around six million Ukrainians were facing winter without power after two month of strikes on energy infrastructure across the country.
Kyiv and western allies have accused Russia of resorting to attacks on the everyday lives of ordinary Ukrainians in an attempt to break the invaded country’s spirit.
Mr Lavrov today countered these accusations, claiming: “We attack energy facilities that make it possible for west to pump weapons into Ukraine.”
The west has been feeding Ukraine weapons throughout the war, lately turning towards the supply of air defence systems to counter the Russian strikes which have rained on cities all over the country, far from the front lines of the war in the south and east.
Last night, the governor of Kherson said the region’s recently liberated capital city had lost power after heavy shelling from Russian forces.
