“Moscow is not choosing diplomacy, but destruction of life”: Ukrainians are freezing after Russian attacks amid peace talks

Russia is deliberately choosing not diplomacy, but the destruction of life and the basic conditions of civilian existence. Moscow’s primary target at present is Ukraine’s energy system, says Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. 

Air defense and energy are matters of survival in winter

The Ukrainian president emphasized that under current conditions, Ukraine’s absolute priority is strengthening air defense and protecting critical energy infrastructure.

“Air defense missiles and all necessary assistance for the energy system are the top priority right now,” Zelenskyy stressed.

He noted that partner support is critically important not only for repairing damaged facilities but also for building sufficient stocks of air defense assets capable of countering massive missile and drone attacks.

Winter as a weapon of war: strikes on civilian targets

Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof, in his conversation with the Ukrainian president, emphasized the need to intensify international pressure on Russia as it utilizes winter as a weapon.

“Hundreds of thousands of households in the Kyiv region are currently without electricity amid severe frost. We must increase pressure on Russia,” he said.

The impact of the strikes is already being felt

As of 13 January, Russian shelling has left thousands of people in Kyiv without power and in seven other regions of Ukraine. Emergency crews are working around the clock, but the scale of the destruction significantly complicates restoration efforts.

The situation once again confirms that Russia is waging a war not for territory, but against civilians, using energy infrastructure as a primary target and a tool of blackmail.