Ten missiles and almost a hundred Russian drones attacked Ukraine on Tuesday, in an attempt by Kremlin forces to destroy the electrical system of the invaded country and force it to undergo a negotiation process in the winter months.

Explosions rocked the skies across most regions of the country as its air defenses engaged in an aerial battle against this week’s second wave of attacks. At least 60 of the 81 “kamikaze” drones were intercepted in the morning, Ukraine’s Air Force said. At least four people were killed, in Zelensky’s hometown of Kryvyi Rig and Zaporizhia, among other places.

Up to 70% of Ukrainians woke up without light in their apartments due to massive power cuts introduced on Monday evening by their grid operator. The power cuts were expected to last all day and left residents of cities such as Lviv and Kyiv without electricity for 14 hours, until the situation was stabilized on Tuesday.

In the afternoon, the situation improved in some regions, although it worsened in the capital due to the severity of the material damage to the system.

Unlike the previous eight massive attacks, Monday’s mainly targeted the power grid, the part of the energy system responsible for distributing power generated across the country. Dozens of Russian missiles, equipped with deadly cluster bombs — small bombs that cover a larger surface area — targeted the country’s electrical substations, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denis Shmigal said Tuesday.

However, only a small part of the equipment was damaged, due to physical protective structures, he said.

“Ukraine’s energy system has retained its integrity despite record Russian attack”Volodymyr Omelchenko, an energy expert at the Razumkov Center in Kyiv, told Ukrainian Radio.

“Although it is impossible to get used to the consequences of the attacks, they will not have a significant effect on the opinion of Ukrainians,” his colleague, military analyst Oleksi Melnik, told LA RAZON.

According to the latest polls conducted by the organization, more than 75% of Ukrainians are still against any concessions to Russia. Even those who declare themselves more open to negotiations continue to reject any compromise that would hand victory to Russia.

“Russia’s gamble to force the Ukrainians to capitulate by creating unbearable conditions, including through such attacks, is going to fail,” Melnik believes.

Territorial integrity

Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenskyconsiders that any dialogue with Vladimir Putin at this time is “useless”. The Russian president “does not want to end the war through diplomatic means,” Zelensky said on Tuesday, recalling that Russia wants to receive 30% of Ukrainian territory, according to its latest ultimatum.

“I am against giving up our territories, under any conditions,” he stressed when asked if this could happen in exchange for NATO membership.

Ukraine has its own plan for victory, Zelensky said, and it will be presented to US President Joe Biden, as well as presidential candidates Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, in September, as it relies heavily on allies.

The ongoing operation of your country in Kursk is part of the strategy, along with ensuring Ukraine’s presence in the international security architecture, as well as increasing diplomatic and economic pressure against Russia.

Ukraine controls nearly 1,300 square kilometers of Russian soil in the area, including 100 towns, and has captured nearly 600 Russian soldiers in the three-week offensive, the Ukrainian military said Tuesday.

The Ukrainian president stressed that the Kursk offensive has defeated a large group of Russian forces preparing to launch offensives in Kharkiv and other border regions. However, it has so far failed to divert Russian forces from Pokrovsk in Donetsk, where Russia has been making slow but steady progress. The Russian push in the Kharkiv and Zaporizhia regions has weakened.

Not all aspects of the Kursk offensive can be revealed for now, Zelensky stressed on Tuesday. He also revealed that Ukraine has successfully tested its first ballistic missile, while its F-16 fighters have managed to shoot down several Russian missiles in recent attacks.

Some Ukrainian and Russian military analysts believe that the Kursk operation may be part of a larger Ukrainian military operation that will force Russia to move its forces and thus create opportunities for a surprise attack at another point on the front. During these two and a half years of war, Ukrainian troops have shown their skill in such operations, Melnyk reiterates.

Hundreds of Ukrainian troops made two attempts to enter Russia’s Belgorod region on Tuesday, pro-war Russian military bloggers said. Between 60 and 200 soldiers allegedly attacked Russian forces near Nekhoteevka and were repelled. According to Russian sources, another attack was repelled about 10 km away near Shebekino.

The situation on the border is “difficult but under control,” local authorities say, while Ukrainian sources have not commented on the matter.