Quote from: be.open on Today at 04:47:16 PM

Quote from: BADecker on Today at 03:21:05 PM

Ukraine's 2nd Largest City Plunged Into Total Darkness As Russia Strikes Key Infrastructure[/b]

Quote from: https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/ukraines-2nd-largest-city-plunged-total-darkness-russia-strikes-key-infrastructure

"The center of Ukraine's second city Kharkiv was plunged into darkness on Sunday evening by an electricity blackout," Reuters has confirmed of the large-scale outage. It's further being reported that some city districts are also without water, creating a severe crisis for residents.

"The cause and extent of the blackout in the northeastern city were not immediately clear. There were also unconfirmed social media reports of blackouts in other places and regions," the report said initially.

However, Ukrainian officials are pointing to stepped up and deliberate Russian attacks on civilian electrical facilities crucial to the city's operations. They are viewing it as punishment for the at this point largely successful Ukrainian military counteroffensive which has regained at least 40 towns and villages to the north and east of Kharkiv.

President Volodymyr Zelensky posted a brief statement to social media along with footage of destroyed infrastructure, denouncing "Deliberate and cynical missile strikes on civilian, critical infrastructure." He stressed they were not "military facilities" that were attacked. "Kharkiv and Donetsk regions were cut off. In Zaporizhia, Dnipropetrovsk, Sumy there are partial problems with power supply."

...

Nope, this is a punishment for Ukraine's incessant shelling of the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant, as a result of which the last reactor was shut down today. Russia was unable to protect the operation of the nuclear power plant and the visit of the IAEA mission did not help either. Now Ukrainians should stock up on patience and gasoline generators, rocket attacks on Ukrainian thermal power plants will be regular.

Yes, of course. There is such a thing as 'pay them back'. But this is the beginnings of the real war.

Russia considers Ukraine to be part of their friendly group. The little 'military playing' that they have done with the Ukraine so far, hasn't been about destruction of Ukraine. It has been about requesting Ukraine to stop their fighting and be family. It has also been about giving the Ukrainian people time to get out, or to decide to stay no matter what.

As Zelensky decides to continue the fight beyond what Russia is willing to put up with, it's now the start time where Russia starts to fight. AND... the fight isn't really against Zelensky/Ukraine. Rather, it is a war against the US's more or less silent usurping of the whole Ukraine government. The Ukrainian people are simply in the way.

Cool