look news india
Not even 24 hours had passed since US President Donald Trump’s historic announcement of the so-called ‘Energy Ceasefire’ between Russia and Ukraine with immediate effect, when the war on the ground took a more violent turn. The Russian army launched a rapid attack with rocket-powered drones and glide bombs on the strategic gas production plant and thermal power station located in Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city. In this horrific air attack, a massive fire broke out in the gas plant of Ukrainian state energy company ‘Naftogaz’ and important machinery and equipment were damaged. Along with this, a combined heat and power plant in Kharkiv was also targeted. This development has deflated the White House’s diplomatic claim that there was an alleged agreement between the two countries to stop attacks on energy infrastructure.
Sergii Fedorenko, acting head of Ukraine’s national oil and gas company Naftogaz, confirmed the attack, saying that during the night the Russian military fired drones directly at the company’s main gas extraction and production center in the Kharkiv region.
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Fire and loss: Following the loud explosion, a fire broke out in the vital infrastructure of the gas station, which was brought under control by firefighters after several hours of hard work. The fortunate thing was that as soon as the siren sounded, the employees of the plant had gone into the underground shelters, due to which there was no loss of life, but the burning of the equipment has caused a serious blow to the production system.
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The power plant also got smoke: In addition to the gas facility, the Russian Air Force also targeted Kharkiv’s power grid and thermal power plant, causing power outages in many parts of the city and spreading panic among the local population.
After the attack, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky took a very tough stance in video addresses to his nation and on international forums.
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Information about the agreement was received from the media: Zelensky revealed that he had received information about Trump’s ‘energy ceasefire’ through the media and no formal outline was shared with Kiev in advance.
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Demand for concrete guarantee from America: Zelensky said, “Ukraine wants peace and we have given appropriate instructions to our forces. But none of Russia’s oil refineries caught fire on Sunday night, while Moscow bombed our gas plants and power stations. On the contrary, Moscow bombed our gas plants and power stations. Only if the US administration actually steps forward and forces Russia to respect this agreement can this ceasefire work. Instead of relying on Putin’s lip service, the US must ensure concrete security guarantees.”
This latest military and diplomatic crisis has deepened at a time when the war of words between the US President and Zelensky has reached its peak:
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Pressure to stop attacks on Russian refineries: Trump publicly warned Zelensky to immediately end drone strikes on Russian oil refineries, as they were impacting global oil markets and US diesel prices.
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Russian diesel import deal: The Trump administration had hinted at an agreement to import diesel from Russia in the name of reducing domestic fuel prices, which Ukraine has termed as ‘open betrayal of its partners’.
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Comment on change of leadership: Trump had even said that Ukraine should choose a new leader because Zelensky was missing the opportunity to end the war. In response, Zelensky had bluntly said that only the people of the country can decide who will lead Ukraine, not any external power.
War analysts believe Moscow is strategically moving ahead with a plan to demolish Ukraine’s entire power grid, heating system and domestic gas network just before the onset of winter. Russia’s main objective is to break the morale of Ukrainian citizens by shutting down electricity and heating in the harsh winter. On the other hand, the Kremlin has neither officially agreed nor denied Trump’s ceasefire announcement, but by continuing attacks on the ground has given the message that it is in no mood to make unilateral concessions on America’s terms. This latest attack on a gas plant in Kharkiv has proved that without solid international monitoring and tough sanctions, ceasefires announced merely on social media cannot survive on the battlefield.