‘This is Russia’s war against our people,’ Zelenskyy says after Russian strikes on energy infrastructure
Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy has just responded to the overnight attacks and disruption on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
In a post on X, he said “there is absolutely no military rationale in such strikes on the energy sector and infrastructure that leave people without electricity and heating in wintertime.”
“This is Russia’s war specifically against our people, against life in Ukraine – an attempt to break Ukraine. That is why support for our resilience and all forms of assistance to our state must function at full capacity,” he said.
Zelenskyy added that “diplomatic discussions cannot be a pretext for slowing down the supply of air defense systems and equipment that helps protect lives.”
“We are working with our partners to ensure an adequate response.”
He also stressed that the repair crews are working on restoring services across the affected regions, with “all necessary resources, equipment and services … deployed to address the situation.”
Key events
German president criticises US foreign policy for leading to ‘breakdown of values’ underpinning world order
German president Frank-Walter Steinmeier has strongly criticised the US foreign policy under Donald Trump, warning that “there is the breakdown of values by our most important partner, the USA, which helped build this world order” in the first place.
In last night’s speech at a Körber Foundation event marking his 70th birthday, Steinmeier said the US behaviour represented a second historic rupture of the world order after Russia’s annexation of Crimea and the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Reuters reported.
He also called for more to be done to “prevent the world into turning into a den of robbers, where the most unscrupulous take whatever they want.”
The president also spoke about the pressure facing democracies “from both outside and within,” particularly from authoritarian and nationalist narratives and “aggressive” public discourse.
‘This is Russia’s war against our people,’ Zelenskyy says after Russian strikes on energy infrastructure
Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy has just responded to the overnight attacks and disruption on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
In a post on X, he said “there is absolutely no military rationale in such strikes on the energy sector and infrastructure that leave people without electricity and heating in wintertime.”
“This is Russia’s war specifically against our people, against life in Ukraine – an attempt to break Ukraine. That is why support for our resilience and all forms of assistance to our state must function at full capacity,” he said.
Zelenskyy added that “diplomatic discussions cannot be a pretext for slowing down the supply of air defense systems and equipment that helps protect lives.”
“We are working with our partners to ensure an adequate response.”
He also stressed that the repair crews are working on restoring services across the affected regions, with “all necessary resources, equipment and services … deployed to address the situation.”
We now also have a line from Russia, with the country’s defence minister saying, via Russian news agencies, that the overnight strikes targeted energy facilities and port infrastructure used by the Ukrainian military.
Coalition of the willing must be ‘robust’ to deal with Russia, warns ex-US general
Dan Sabbagh
Defence and security editor
An Anglo-French led stabilisation force for Ukraine would have to deploy thousands of combat troops if it is to successfully dissuade Russia from breaking a postwar ceasefire, according to a former commanding general of the US army in Europe.
Ben Hodges said the proposed multinational force, discussed this week by the British and French leaders with Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Paris, had to be robust enough to deal with likely Kremlin-orchestrated provocations.
“The coalition of the willing has to have real force and rules of engagement that allow it to immediately react and respond to any violations,” he said.
Captains can’t be having to call back to Paris or London to find out how to deal with a Russian drone.
The retired general said: “Anybody who believes that Russia will live up to any agreement is not being realistic” – a reference in part to the period between 2014 and 2022 when there were repeated violations of the old ceasefire lines in Ukraine.
At least, British and French troops would need to be able to defend themselves from drones and other forms of attack, Hodges said, as it would be very likely that “Russia will immediately test their responsiveness”.
Russian forces, the former general added, “have to look over there and say these guys are serious, not parked in a barracks somewhere near Lviv. So far there is not enough detail to judge.”
The Ukrainian air force said Russia attacked with 97 drones overnight, with 70 downed by air defence system but 27 striking various locations, without elaborating, AFP reported.
Here are some pictures showing the impact of the ongoing power blackout in parts of Ukraine – here, from Zaporizhzhia last night.
Morning opening: Russian attacks leave Ukrainian region without water and heat
Jakub Krupa
More than one million people are left without water and heat in the Dnipropetrovsk region of Ukraine after another round of Russian strikes on energy infrastructure overnight, the authorities said.
Another figure, given by the country’s energy ministry, put the number of affected at nearly 800,000 people.
“Ukraine’s energy system is under enemy attacks every day, and energy workers are operating in extremely difficult conditions to provide people with light and heat,” the country’s prime minister Yulia Svyrydenko wrote on Telegram.
She added that expected snowfalls and low temperatures were likely going to compound disruptions in the coming weeks.
“Repair work continues in Dnipropetrovsk region to restore heat and water supply for over a million subscribers,” restoration minister Oleksiy Kuleba wrote on social media.
The neighbouring Zaporizhzhia region is also affected.
The attacks took place just days after the latest summit of the Coalition of the Willing, discussing the thorny issue of security guarantees for Ukraine in case of some sort of peace settlement with Russia.
But they also serve as a striking reminder of the continued impact of the Russian aggression on civilian populations across Ukraine.
I will bring you all the key developments here.
It’s Thursday, 8 January 2026, it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live.
Good morning.
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