Russia Ramps Up Attacks to Cripple Ukraine's Power as Winter Looms

Russia launched a fresh wave of missile attacks targeting cities and critical infrastructure across Ukraine on Tuesday, according to Ukrainian authorities, as the war-torn country prepares for winter and the challenges it will bring.

At least a dozen regions throughout Ukraine reported strikes on Tuesday, some of which experienced emergency blackouts because of the damage, the Associated Press said.

The Ukrainian capital of Kyiv was among the areas reportedly hit. Kyiv Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko wrote on Telegram Tuesday that two residential buildings in the city's Pechersk District were hit but said several incoming missiles were shot down by air defense over Kyiv. In a later Telegram post, Klitschko wrote that another multistory building in the same district was struck.

Igor Terekhov, the mayor of Kharkiv, said on Telegram Tuesday that a critical infrastructure facility was damaged, causing power supply problems and halting Metro service and "ground electric transport." No information about potential victims was immediately available, he said.

"Power engineers and public utilities are doing everything to normalize the life of Kharkiv as soon as possible," Terekhov wrote.

The reported Russian missile barrage came several days after Russian troops retreated from the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson, a loss that experts described as a major defeat for Russian President Vladimir Putin. Kherson was the only regional capital Russia had managed to capture in the war, and losing it was especially significant because it is in the Kherson Oblast, one of four Ukrainian regions that Russia said it annexed in late September.

The missile attacks on Ukraine's critical infrastructure, a continuation of previous rounds of attacks last month, came as Ukraine and Russia face another challenge: the coming winter. Continued damage to Ukraine's power facilities and other infrastructure could affect heat availability for civilians during the coldest months of the year. At the same time, the change in season means Russian and Ukrainian soldiers are expected to confront unique challenges in the fighting on the ground.

The U.K. Defense Ministry noted in an intelligence update on Monday the changes that are coming to daylight hours, temperature and weather, as well as the possibility of cold-related injuries like frostbite and hypothermia.

"The weather itself is likely to see an increase in rainfall, wind speed and snowfall," the ministry wrote. It said these elements could cause additional difficulties for Russian soldiers, who have "already low morale."

The U.K. ministry also said that the cold weather could cause weapons to malfunction more easily.

Newsweek reached out for comment to Russia's Defense Ministry and Ukraine's Foreign Ministry.

Update 11/15/22, 1:40 p.m. ET: This story has been updated with additional information and background.