Russia targets Ukraine city’s energy sector as EU pledges $180M for repairs, shelters

Russian forces deed a attraction halfway for the aged successful the Ukrainian metropolis of Sumy connected Thursday and targeted its vigor assemblage successful airstrikes that killed astatine slightest 1 civilian, Ukrainian officials said.

In the daytime onslaught connected Sumy, a Russian guided weaponry struck a five-story building, officials said. At slightest 1 idiosyncratic was killed, and astatine slightest 12 others were injured, the Ukrainian interior ministry said successful a statement. Photos from the country showed aged patients being evacuated from the building.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said rescue teams were searching to spot whether radical were stuck beneath the rubble.

A United Nations monitoring assemblage said the onslaught connected the powerfulness grid astir apt violated humanitarian law.

The powerfulness grid onslaught came connected the aforesaid time that the European Union announced it would supply Ukraine with astir $180 cardinal successful vigor backing – astir $111 cardinal of it coming from frozen Russian assets – up of what promises to beryllium a pugnacious wintertime aft Russia’s battle connected the Ukrainian vigor grid.

Russia has throttled the Sumy region’s vigor strategy successful respective attacks this week, reducing powerfulness successful immoderate areas. The International Energy Agency warned connected Thursday that Ukraine’s energy proviso risked “severe disruptions” this winter.

“Ukraine’s vigor strategy has made it done the past 2 winters acknowledgment to the resilience, courageousness and ingenuity of its radical and beardown solidarity from its planetary partners,” IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol said successful a connection Thursday. “But this wintertime volition be, by far, its sternest trial yet.”

At a Brussels quality conference, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said astir $67 cardinal of the backing would spell toward shelters, heaters and different humanitarian aid, portion the balance, funded by the Russian assets, would beryllium utilized for repairs to the grid and investments successful renewable energy.

Regarding the usage of the Russian assets, von der Leyen said, “It is lone close that Russia pays for the demolition it caused.” She said the EU would proceed transferring proceeds from the assets to money Ukraine’s “energy resilience,” which includes decentralizing vigor accumulation and adoption of renewables specified arsenic solar.

Von der Leyen said she would beryllium traveling to Kyiv connected Friday to sermon the vigor concern plans.

The EU vigor assistance follows a study from the IEA that said due to the fact that of an summation successful the strength of Russian attacks connected the nation’s vigor infrastructure, Ukraine was facing possibly the astir hard winter, from an vigor standpoint, since Russia’s penetration successful 2022.

Speaking astatine the aforesaid quality conference, IEA’s Birol said a Russian onslaught precocious past period damaged a ample information of Ukraine’s infrastructure.

Even earlier that, Birol said, “because of the erstwhile attacks connected the Ukrainian vigor infrastructure, two-thirds of the powerfulness procreation capableness of Ukraine was lost."

Birol said wintertime vigor demands could beryllium a large contented for energy and heating, not lone for Ukraine homes. The IEA sees “huge implications” for hospitals, schools and connection networks. He said this mightiness pb to immoderate consequences “beyond the vigor sector."

In Washington, U.S. legislature leaders and President Joe Biden’s medication are getting person to an statement to question a one-year hold of $6 cardinal successful subject assistance for Ukraine, Reuters reported Thursday. The assistance is owed to expire this month.

Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris volition conscionable separately with Zelenskyy connected September 26, the White House said successful a Thursday statement.

On the battlefield, Ukraine said Thursday that its aerial defenses changeable down each 42 drones that Russia utilized successful overnight attacks targeting regions crossed the country.

Ukraine’s aerial unit said it besides changeable down a Russian guided missile. Russia’s attacks included drones directed astatine the Cherkasy, Dnipropetrovsk, Kherson, Kirovohrad, Kyiv, Mykolaiv, Rivne, Vinnytsia and Zhytomyr regions, the subject said.

On Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russia was expanding drone accumulation by astir 10 times to astir 1.4 cardinal drones this twelvemonth arsenic portion of Moscow’s warfare effort successful Ukraine.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said it destroyed 2 Ukrainian drones implicit the Kursk portion and different drone implicit the Belgorod region.

The speech of aerial attacks came a time aft a Ukrainian drone deed a warehouse successful Russia’s Tver region, sparking a ample occurrence and forcing evacuations successful the area.

"The force deed an ammunition depot successful the country of Toropets," said Yuri Podolyaka, a Ukrainian-born, pro-Russian subject blogger, Reuters reported. "Everything that tin pain is already burning determination [and exploding]."

Igor Rudenya, politician of the Tver region, said connected Telegram that the drones had been changeable down and a occurrence was burning, but the concern was “under control.”

In his nightly address, Zelenskyy did not notation the blast specifically, but helium said a “very important effect was achieved” connected Russian territory that weakened the enemy. He besides said Ukrainian forces had decreased the imaginable of Russian forces to motorboat attacks successful the eastbound front’s Donetsk region.

Ukraine’s authorities information work earlier said the warehouse held missiles, guided bombs and artillery ammunition. Previously, Russian media had called the tract a large accepted arms arsenal.

Some accusation for this study came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.