Russian Drone Strikes Devastate Mykolaiv in Southern Ukraine, Thermal Power Plant Destroyed

Russian Drone Strikes Devastate Mykolaiv in Southern Ukraine, Thermal Power Plant Destroyed

Russian drone strikes have damaged a thermal power plant in the southern Ukrainian city of Mykolaiv, leaving 46,000 consumers without heating in the cold winter. Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal stated that the attack was deliberately planned to deprive people of warmth in sub-zero temperatures, creating a humanitarian disaster.

Shmyhal said on his Telegram account, "This was done intentionally to leave people without heat in the cold and create a humanitarian catastrophe." While Russia launched 143 drone strikes overnight, the Ukrainian military shot down 95 of the drones, and 46 drones failed to reach their targets, likely due to electronic countermeasures disrupting the attacks.

At least one person was injured in the attacks, and houses in the Kyiv region were damaged, according to Ukrainian officials. The temperature in Mykolaiv is expected to drop to minus 7 degrees Celsius (19.4 Fahrenheit) on Sunday night.

Meanwhile, at the Munich Security Conference, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged Western allies to strengthen Ukraine's air defense. He stated that Russia currently occupies 20% of Ukraine and is slowly advancing in the east, with Moscow's full-scale invasion approaching its third anniversary.

Zelenskyy also revealed that in the past week, Russia had launched approximately 1,220 aerial bombs, 850 drones, and more than 40 missiles into government-controlled areas of Ukraine. He said, "The world and Europe must be protected from this kind of evil, and a strong, united foreign policy is needed to confront it," as he mentioned in his Telegram post.

At the same time, U.S. President Donald Trump has shocked European allies and Ukraine by announcing peace talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin without consulting them or Kyiv beforehand, which has caused surprise among European allies and Ukraine.

An emergency meeting of European Union foreign ministers has taken place, where Ukraine and European allies expressed concerns that they might be sidelined in peace talks with Russia. However, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot stated that French President Emmanuel Macron will host the meeting as planned.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy has called for the creation of a European army, as he believes Europe can no longer rely on U.S. security protection and will only earn respect from Washington with a strong military.

Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski stated that European countries will not form a unified army in response to Russian threats, but he expressed support for the European Union to enhance its own defense capabilities.