At least 10 killed as Russia 'deliberately' strikes civilians

Live reporting by Verity Bowman. Dec 8, 2022.

Ukrainian firefighters extinguish a fire after Russian army shelling of Bakhmut CREDIT: Diego Herrera Carcedo/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

At least 10 people are dead after Russian shelling bombarded the eastern Ukraine town of Kurakhove on Wednesday in a “deliberate strike” at civilians.

President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the strike on the town as “very brutal” in his nightly video address on Wednesday.

“The Russian army carried out a very brutal, absolutely deliberate strike at Kurakhove,” he said.

“Precisely at civilians. At ordinary people. At the market, elevator, gas station, bus station, residential building. The list of the dead so far includes ten people, there are many wounded.”

Kurakhove is in the Donetsk region, which has seen some of the heaviest fighting since Russia’s war on Ukraine began.

Kyrylo Tymoshenko, deputy head of Mr Zelensky’s office, had earlier denounced the attack on Telegram, showing video footage of buildings in flames.

“Terrorists are inhuman,” Mr Tymoshenko wrote. “And they will be held to account for it.”

The latest in pictures

Here is a roundup of the latest photos coming out of Ukraine:

A local man walks on the debris of destroyed private house in Mariupol CREDIT: SERGEI ILNITSKY/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

An expert of the prosecutor's office examining collected remnants of shells and missiles used by the Russian army — An expert of the prosecutor’s office examining collected remnants of shells and missiles used by the Russian army CREDIT: ALEKSEY FILIPPOV/AFP via Getty Images

A local resident, Liubov Onyschenko, is seen in her house heavily damaged by a Russian missile strike in the village of Kupriianivka, Zaporizhzhia CREDIT: REUTERS

People walk down a street amid a snowfall as Russia's invasion of Ukraine continues, in central Kyiv — People walk down a street amid a snowfall as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continues, in central KyivCREDIT: REUTERS/Gleb Garanich

Russia fired at Ukraine’s power grid over 1,000 times

Russian forces have fired more than 1,000 rockets and missiles at Ukraine’s power grid, which remains in operation despite sustaining major damage.

Recent Russian air strikes on critical infrastructure have seriously damaged the grid and led to emergency and planned outages across the country.

Ukrainian officials expect a new wave of Russian bombing this week, with previous rounds targeting critical infrastructure and causing massive water and power cuts CREDIT: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images

Officials are scouring the world for complex equipment required for repairs, Volodymyr Kudrytsky, chief executive of the Ukrenergo grid operator, told a meeting arranged by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.

“These attacks represent the biggest blow to a power grid that humanity has ever seen. More than 1,000 shells and rockets were fired at electrical facilities and lines, including substations,” Interfax Ukraine quoted Mr Kudrytsky as saying.

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Comment from DT reader Sarah Crawford: “How will the world hold Putin to trial for crimes of terrorism, war and genocide?

We watch, we give aid to Ukraine, we wish to fight back.

All evidence is being registered and the horrors are as sickening as Hiltler’s were. There needs to be a strong political leadership aginst Putin with sanctions and actions severely enforced to bring him to trial and to a halt, then continuing for decades to ensure he never can do this again.

Face up to him and defeat the horror of a man.”

Runtime VIA: “We need to give Ukraine the means to hit any of the major Russian population centres within 500 miles. Until then, Russia will carry on its indiscriminate killing of innocents.”

Reply to Runtime VIA from Keith Robinson: “Agree 110%. Interestingly Blinken goes out of his way to say “those strikes in Russia are not in any way using US supplied armaments”….I reckon a better idea would be to say “hey Putler, you reap what you sow mate so suck it up & improve your air defence systems”.

Martin Whapshott: “There is no doubt in my mind that the West should gear up its military production capabilities to leverage Ukraines offensive against Russia. The reply to Russias 1,000 missiles should be 10,000 missiles until such time as the Russian people turn on their “leadership” and hand over these clowns for war crimes trial.”

Padraig Oilibhear : “I see that Putin says that the war in Ukraine will last for a long time. The people of Ukraine have suffered too much already. It is time for the NATO and other countries in sympathy with Ukraine to put an end to this.”

Comment from Martin Mitchel:

“Critical Threats today;
Putin is setting conditions for a protracted war of conquest in Ukraine. During a meeting with the Russian Presidential Council for the Development of Civil Society and Human Rights Putin remarked that the “special operation” in Ukraine can be a “lengthy process” and that the acquisition of new territory is a significant result of this process for Russia. Putin compared himself favorably with Peter the Great by noting that Russia now controls the Sea of Azov which Peter the Great also fought for. This invocation of Russian imperial history explicitly frames Putin’s current goals in Ukraine as overtly imperialistic and still maximalist. Putin is conditioning Russian domestic audiences to expect a protracted, grinding war in Ukraine that continues to seek the conquest of additional Ukrainian territory.
The Russian information space responded positively to Putin’s assertions and set further conditions for the protraction of the war, with one milblogger comparing Ukraine to Syria and noting that Russian forces did not start meaningfully experiencing victories on the battlefield until years into the operation. ISW has previously observed that the Kremlin has been setting information conditions for the protraction of the war in Ukraine since the summer following Russian forces’ dismal failures to secure and retain their primary objectives. This informational conditioning is fundamentally incompatible with any discussions regarding a ceasefire or negotiations. Putin seems unwilling to risk losing domestic momentum by halting his offensive operations even briefly, let alone to pursue an off-ramp short of his full objectives, which, as he is making increasingly clear, appear to include the reconstitution of the Russian Empire in some form.”

One comment

scradge1 says:

December 8, 2022 at 11:34 am

Comment from Martin Mitchel:

“Critical Threats today;
Putin is setting conditions for a protracted war of conquest in Ukraine. During a meeting with the Russian Presidential Council for the Development of Civil Society and Human Rights Putin remarked that the “special operation” in Ukraine can be a “lengthy process” and that the acquisition of new territory is a significant result of this process for Russia. Putin compared himself favorably with Peter the Great by noting that Russia now controls the Sea of Azov which Peter the Great also fought for. This invocation of Russian imperial history explicitly frames Putin’s current goals in Ukraine as overtly imperialistic and still maximalist. Putin is conditioning Russian domestic audiences to expect a protracted, grinding war in Ukraine that continues to seek the conquest of additional Ukrainian territory.
The Russian information space responded positively to Putin’s assertions and set further conditions for the protraction of the war, with one milblogger comparing Ukraine to Syria and noting that Russian forces did not start meaningfully experiencing victories on the battlefield until years into the operation. ISW has previously observed that the Kremlin has been setting information conditions for the protraction of the war in Ukraine since the summer following Russian forces’ dismal failures to secure and retain their primary objectives. This informational conditioning is fundamentally incompatible with any discussions regarding a ceasefire or negotiations. Putin seems unwilling to risk losing domestic momentum by halting his offensive operations even briefly, let alone to pursue an off-ramp short of his full objectives, which, as he is making increasingly clear, appear to include the reconstitution of the Russian Empire in some form.”

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