Horror sign Vladimir Putin is only getting started in Ukraine

This week Vladimir Putin’s wrath reached a level unseen since the first week of the invasion, with particularly grim consequences looming.

Despite the chaos and destruction Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine has caused over the past nine months, there are grim signs that the worst of the operation is yet to come.

As winter approaches in the northern hemisphere, Russia is engaging in a devastating strategy of targeting Ukraine’s energy facilities through a series of mass strikes, as well as ramping up attacks on major population centres.

On Tuesday, Russia struck Ukraine with its largest barrage of strikes since the first week of the invasion, the UK Ministry of Defence said.

“Munitions were launched from air, sea and land-based platforms,” it said.

“Although a large proportion of missiles were successfully intercepted, Ukraine is facing a significant decrease in the power available from its national grid. This will impact upon civilian access to communications, heating and water supplies.

Russian President Vladimir Putin. Picture: Sergei BOBYLYOV / SPUTNIK / AFP

“Continued strikes at this scale are drawing deeply upon Russia’s reserves of conventional cruise missiles, as degrading Ukrainian’s national infrastructure has become a key element of Russia’s strategic approach to the campaign.”

This is crucial, given the weather is beginning to turn in Ukraine.

The first snow of the season on Thursday fell in the war-stricken nation.

In Kyiv, which has been suffering from scheduled and unannounced electricity cuts, the regional governor this week warned the situation could become “difficult” and that temperatures could drop to -10C.

Earlier this month, Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky said that around 40 per cent of the country’s energy infrastructure has been destroyed.

The bombing this week has been some of the heaviest so far. Picture: Genya Savilov / AFP

NATO believes Poland blast an ‘accident’

Meanwhile Western leaders have moved to calm fears after a missile blast in Poland, saying the strike that killed two people was likely fired by Ukraine.

Zelensky pointed the finger at Russia, but the United States, like NATO, firmly supported Warsaw’s assessment that the deadly missile was probably fired by Ukraine.

The missile killed two people when it struck the village of Przewodow near the Ukrainian border on Tuesday, shocking NATO member Poland.

Both Warsaw and NATO have said the explosion was likely caused by a Ukrainian air defence missile launched to intercept a massive Russian barrage targeting civilian infrastructure — while stressing Moscow was ultimately to blame for starting the conflict.

President Zelenskyy. Picture: Supplied

The White House said it had “seen nothing that contradicts” Poland’s preliminary assessment — while also declaring that “the party ultimately responsible for this tragic incident is Russia”.

President Zelensky, however, said Kyiv had seen no proof the missile was Ukrainian, demanding to be part of any investigation and asking for access to the blast site as well as “all the data” on the projectile.

“I have no doubt that this is not our missile,” Zelensky said. “I believe that this was a Russian missile, based on our military reports.” In the immediate aftermath, the incident sparked fears of a major escalation in the Ukraine conflict, with Hungary criticising Zelensky’s denial as setting “a bad example”.

Ukraine grain deal extended ‘under current terms’

In a sliver of good news emerging from the region, an agreement allowing Ukraine to export grain through Black Sea will continue “under current terms”.

“The agreement will remain in place under current terms for four months,” a senior Turkish official told AFP on condition of anonymity.

Ukraine is one of the world’s top grain producers, and Russia’s invasion of the country blocked 20 million tonnes of grain in its ports before the United Nations and Turkey brokered the deal in July.

Nearly nine months has passed since Russia invaded Ukraine and, although Ukraine has regained territory in recent weeks, the war shows no signs of letting up. Picture: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images

The official told AFP the agreement would be in force for “120 days considering the winter conditions”, adding that there could be “new arrangements” after the winter season.

An international source close to the negotiations also confirmed to AFP that the parties concerned agreed to extend the deal.

On Wednesday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said at a press conference at the G20 summit in Indonesia: “I am of the opinion that it (the deal) will continue. There’s no problem there.”

— with AFP