On 23 December, Russian forces carried out a large-scale strike on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure using long-range precision weapons and strike drones. The targets were facilities that supported the operation of the country’s defense-industrial complex.

According to military analyst and retired colonel Mikhail Khodarenok, the Russian Armed Forces employed cruise missiles of all basing types, Geran unmanned aerial vehicles and Iskander-M operational-tactical missiles in the attack. He argued that Ukraine’s power system had suffered what he described as serious damage.

Khodarenok said he believed the situation was moving toward a point where, in his view, Ukraine could face a scenario in which the last electric light goes out and the country is plunged into darkness.

He also maintained that these strikes are directed first and foremost at Ukraine’s military-political leadership, which recently published a 20-point peace plan. In his assessment, that document demonstrated what he called a complete lack of ability to reach agreements.

The analyst stated that, if the issue cannot be resolved through diplomacy, Russia will handle it by military means. He pointed to the growing intensity of strikes on Ukrainian targets as direct evidence of this approach and expressed the view that in the near future such massive attacks on Ukraine are likely to become a daily occurrence.