KYIV, Dec. 5 (Reuters) – Russia said on Monday it destroyed homes in the south and cut power in the north in a fresh round of missile strikes in Ukraine, as the West sought to limit Moscow’s ability to finance the invasion by imposing a price ceiling. On Russian offshore oil.
Aerial warnings were sounded across Ukraine and officials urged civilians to take shelter from what they said was the latest in a wave of Russian missile attacks since its February 24 invasion.
Two people were killed in the Zaporizhzhia region, where several houses were destroyed, Kyrylo Tymoshenko, deputy head of the presidential office, said in one of the first reports on the damage. A city official said buildings on the outskirts of Zaporizhzhia were hit and some Russian missiles were shot down.
The governor of Kyiv region said its air defenses were working there and told residents to stay in shelters. An energy provider said the latest missile strikes have cut power in the northern part of Sumi.
Russian forces have increasingly targeted Ukrainian energy facilities in recent weeks as they face a backlash on the battlefield, causing major blackouts as winter sets in.
“Don’t ignore the alarm,” said Andriy Yermak, head of Ukraine’s presidential staff.
[1/9] Firefighters work inside a building on the premises of a local church damaged by shelling during the Russia-Ukraine conflict in Donetsk, Russian-controlled Ukraine, on December 5, 2022. REUTERS/Alexander Ermochenko
Ukraine returned to scheduled blackouts on Monday after widespread Russian strikes on November 23, the worst in a series of attacks on energy infrastructure that began in early October.
Russia has said the attack was carried out to undermine Ukraine’s military. Ukraine says they clearly targeted civilians and thus constituted a war crime.
A $60-a-barrel price cap on Russia’s seaborne crude took effect Monday, the latest Western move to punish Moscow for its aggression. Russia is the world’s second largest oil exporter.
The agreement allows Russian oil to be shipped to third-party countries using G7 and EU tankers, insurance companies and credit institutions.
Moscow has said it will not be bound by the measure, even if it means cutting production. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said $60 was too much to stop Russia’s aggression.
Russian crude was selling for around $79 a barrel in Asian markets on Monday — almost a third higher than the price range, according to Refinitiv data and estimates from industry sources.
On the ground in Ukraine, both sides reported casualties in overnight attacks on an industrial plant and another in southern Ukraine and government-run shelters under Russian control in the east. Reuters could not immediately verify those reports.
Reporting by Nick Starkov and Reuters Bureaus; By Philippa Fletcher; Editing by Peter Graf
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