KYIV, Feb 2 – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Monday that Russia has not carried out any targeted missile or drone attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure over the past 24 hours, although energy facilities near frontline areas have still come under fire.
His comments underscored the fragile nature of a short-term energy ceasefire that Russia agreed to last week following a request from US President Donald Trump.
Zelenskiy said repair teams had succeeded in restoring power facilities damaged over the weekend by high-voltage line failures, in addition to ongoing damage caused by repeated Russian attacks.
“The energy system is operating in a stable manner. However, with extremely cold temperatures and the continued impact of Russian strikes, the challenges remain very serious,” Zelenskiy said in a post on Telegram.
He added that Russian forces were now concentrating their attacks on transport routes, particularly railway infrastructure.
Both Russia and Ukraine said last week they had stopped striking each other’s energy facilities, but the two sides disagreed on how long the truce was meant to last.
The Kremlin said Trump had personally asked Russian President Vladimir Putin to refrain from striking Kyiv until February 1. Zelenskiy, however, said the ceasefire was intended to last for a week beginning on January 30.
On Sunday, a Russian drone strike killed 12 miners at a coal mine in Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk region, according to officials. Energy company DTEK said on Monday that one of its coal mining facilities in the region had been attacked for the second time within 24 hours.
Regional authorities also reported that a Russian strike in the frontline Donetsk region killed a father and his son, and injured two children along with their mother.
Kyiv and Moscow are preparing for talks in Abu Dhabi later this week aimed at ending the war. The discussions are expected to take place on Wednesday and Thursday.
