Ukrainian air defense will be restructured in response to ongoing Russian attacks, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced, quoted by DPA, BTA reported.
Zelensky said last night in his evening video address that "in some areas, the way teams work will be completely" changed. The restructuring will affect interceptors, mobile fire groups and the entire composition of the local air defense, he specified.
Ukraine has suffered serious damage from Russian drone and missile attacks in the middle of a harsh winter, DPA notes. With temperatures falling well below -10 degrees Celsius, electricity and heating supplies were cut off in many parts of the country as a result of these strikes. Millions of Ukrainians are without electricity and heating for hours every day.
Zelensky mentioned the energy problems in his address. The Ukrainian president thanked emergency services for their work and international partners for the assistance provided.
At the same time, he criticized local authorities for not reporting problems in a timely manner, thereby exacerbating them. In addition to the capital Kiev, with whose mayor Vitali Klitschko has repeatedly entered into public disputes, the Ukrainian president explicitly mentioned Akhtyrka in Sumy region and his hometown of Krivoy Rog, DPA notes.
At least eight civilians were killed in Ukrainian and Russian attacks yesterday, Agence France-Presse reported earlier, citing the relevant authorities.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, for its part, reported, quoted by Ukrinform, about 108 battles yesterday.
The situation was most tense in the Pokrovskoye direction in the eastern Donetsk region. 30 Russian attacks were registered there, the regular evening report says.
Taking the city of Pokrovsk is among Russia's main military goals at this stage.