Another night of bombings over Ukraine . In addition to energy sites, railways are also increasingly targeted by Russian raids aimed at disrupting supply lines for the war effort and the country's daily life. On the ground, Moscow's offensive in the east and south continues, and the government is grappling with its most serious corruption scandal.
Since July , bombings of the railway system have increased threefold, Deputy Prime Minister Oleksii Kuleba said . "Since the beginning of the year, there have been 800 attacks on railway infrastructure, and over 3,000 have been damaged," Kuleba was quoted by the Guardian as saying, estimating damages amounting to $1 billion.
Moscow continues to insist that it is targeting only military targets , namely the energy infrastructure that powers the defense-industrial complex and the railway lines that transport weapons and troops to the front. But it is impossible to distinguish the damage caused to the Ukrainian armed forces from that inflicted on the civilian population.
Kiev is meanwhile dealing with a corruption scandal in the energy sector , which has so far led to the indictment of seven people and the resignation of two ministers, and is almost touching President Volodymyr Zelensky with the accusations leveled at his collaborator Timur Mindich.
The National Anti-Corruption Bureau said it had filed a motion to arrest former Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Chernyshov , while the Ukrainian leader attempted to respond by announcing a reform of all national bodies in the name of transparency, with a full "financial audit" and a change of directors.
Following the massive raids, Ukrainian forces reported further attacks involving three missiles and 135 drones during the night between Thursday and Friday, resulting in at least three deaths in the Kherson region and one in the Dnipropetrovsk region. Ukrainian forces continue drone strikes on Russian energy infrastructure.
And while the EU High Representative for Foreign Policy, Kaja Kallas, delivered a video message at the Peace Marathon organized by the CISL (Italian Workers' Union) in Rome, stating that "Europe must speak a language Russia understands: that of force," there is a clash in Italy over the "new military aid package" announced by Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani. The League has stated it will be loyal, but is demanding "clarity on corruption" from Kiev: "We have always voted for sanctions and aid, but now serious facts have emerged."
(Unioneonline/vl)
