Mon Sep 23 22:28:46 UTC 2024: ## Ukraine Calls for Retaliation Strikes on Russian Power Grid to End War
**New York, NY** – As Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addresses the UN General Assembly, urging a peaceful resolution to the conflict, his country continues to face relentless attacks from Russia. While Ukraine’s military successfully recaptured territory in Kursk Oblast, Russia responded with intensified strikes targeting civilian infrastructure, causing widespread energy shortages and jeopardizing the upcoming winter.
With Russia’s recent acquisition of Iranian ballistic missiles, the threat to Ukraine is escalating. Despite promises of Patriot air defense systems, only two of the five pledged systems have arrived, leaving Ukraine vulnerable.
To counter this escalating threat, Zelensky proposes a new strategy: targeting Russia’s power grid in retaliation for the devastating attacks on Ukraine’s infrastructure. While Ukraine has refrained from attacking Russian civilians, targeting Moscow’s power plant, responsible for a significant portion of the city’s electricity and heat, is considered a legitimate military target under international law.
This strategy, advocated by John Herbst, former ambassador to Ukraine and Uzbekistan, and Adrian Karatnycky, senior fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center, argues that retaliatory strikes would cripple Russia’s war machine and economy, forcing Moscow to the negotiating table.
The authors emphasize that these strikes would not target civilians and would serve as a deterrent against further attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure. They argue that Russia’s relentless assaults on Ukraine’s critical systems have gone largely unpunished, and a response is necessary to bring the conflict to a swift and just conclusion.
The authors also point out that targeting Russia’s power grid would be more effective than the current sanctions, which have had little impact on the Russian economy. They believe that inflicting pain on Russia’s center of power would be a critical step in forcing Putin to reconsider his campaign against Ukraine.
With the US election approaching, the authors urge the incoming administration to consider this new strategy and provide Ukraine with the necessary tools to effectively retaliate against Russia’s aggression. They warn that failing to do so will only prolong the war, leading to further suffering in Ukraine and significant financial burdens for the West.
First Piper 