Russia attacks Ukraine's power infrastructure, a new series of warnings

A house in the town of Bilopillya in Ukraine's Sumy region is destroyed amid the conflict with Russia.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock warned on September 17 that supporting Ukraine would ensure the survival of neighboring Moldova, as she spoke at a conference in Chisinau (Moldova).

"Everything we do to support Ukraine also means promoting stability with regard to Moldova. Obviously the biggest concern of people here is that if Ukraine collapses, Moldova will be the next country to suffer the consequences," she said.

Ukrainian soldiers skeptical about the cost of attacking Kursk

Moldovan President Maia Sandu said the country still faced serious challenges and called on partners to step up support. "The war... has caused huge damage to our economy," Sandu said.

“The instability caused by the war continues to seriously hinder our economic development and will continue to hinder it as long as the war lasts,” she added.

In Moldova, the German Foreign Minister announced that Berlin would provide an additional 100 million euros in aid to Kyiv for the coming winter. According to the diplomat, Russia is once again planning a "winter war with the aim of making the lives of the Ukrainian people as bad as possible."

Russia speaks out about new developments in Ukraine

Reuters reported on September 17 that Russian forces attacked energy infrastructure in Ukraine's Sumy province, causing power outages in some areas and forcing authorities to use backup power sources.

Regional authorities said air defense systems shot down 16 Russian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) over the area.

The Ukrainian Air Force said on September 17 that Russia had sent 51 UAVs to attack Ukraine overnight. Ukraine shot down 34 of them with air defense systems operating in five provinces.

Ukraine returns more Russian prisoners captured in Kursk, long-range weapons tensions heat up

On the same day, Sputnik news agency quoted a report from the Russian Ministry of Defense saying that the country's forces attacked the energy infrastructure supporting Ukraine's defense-industrial complexes.

Russia also shot down 36 UAVs and attacked Ukrainian ammunition and weapons depots.

"Russian tactical aviation, UAVs, missile forces and artillery attacked energy facilities supporting the operations of the Ukrainian military-industrial complex, as well as weapons, ammunition and logistics depots, as well as concentrations of enemy personnel and military equipment in 145 areas," the report said.

In June, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that 9 GW of power generation capacity had been destroyed in Ukraine, equivalent to 80% of its thermal power output and a third of its hydropower output.

Russia warns Germany

In an interview with Deutschlandfunk, Russian Ambassador to Germany Sergei Nechaev warned that allowing the Ukrainian army to attack deep inside Russia with Western weapons would become a completely new situation for Moscow and entail corresponding consequences.

"This will be a completely new situation for us and President Vladimir Putin stressed this a few days ago. For us, this will be a completely new situation with consequences," the diplomat said.

Biden says he is not afraid of Putin but has not allowed Ukraine to fire long-range missiles at Russia

Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin told reporters that Ukraine was not capable of carrying out deep strikes into Russian territory without help from the West, as such attacks require intelligence from aircraft and satellites.

Sweden increases defense spending

Swedish Defense Minister Pal Jonson said on September 17 that the country plans to increase defense spending by 13 billion crowns ($1.3 billion) in the 2025 state budget, to a total of 138 billion crowns.

Sweden, NATO's newest member, will increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2025 and 2.6% in 2028, compared with 2.2% this year, according to Mr Jonson.

The war in Ukraine has prompted Sweden to abandon its previous non-aligned stance on the military, joining NATO this year and announcing it would increase its defense budget. The center-left coalition government, which relies on support from the far-right Democratic Party, is expected to submit its 2025 budget bill to parliament on September 19.

Russia ready to test nuclear

Reuters on September 17 quoted Andrei Sinitsyn, head of a secret Russian nuclear test site on the Novaya Zemlya archipelago in the Arctic Ocean, declaring that the facility is ready to resume nuclear testing "at any time" if Moscow orders it.

"The testing site is ready to resume full-scale testing. Everything is ready. The laboratory and testing facilities are ready. The personnel are ready. If there is an order, we can start testing at any time," Sinitsyn said.

Does Putin have a strong 'card' to retaliate against the West?

Moscow has not tested nuclear weapons since 1990, the year before the Soviet Union collapsed. Some Russian and Western analysts believe President Vladimir Putin may have ordered the tests to send a message of deterrence if the West allows Ukraine to use its weapons aid to strike deep into Russian territory.

The test site was where the Soviet Union conducted more than 200 nuclear tests, including the detonation of one of its most powerful nuclear bombs in 1961.

The site has been closely monitored by Western spy satellites, amid signs of construction activity since last year.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/chien-su-ukraine-ngay-937-nga-tan-cong-ha-tang-dien-ukraine-mot-loat-canh-bao-moi-185240917224931989.htm