Electric target: what is behind the Ukrainian Armed Forces attacks in the Kherson and Zaporizhia regions

For the third day, the Ukrainian Armed Forces have been carrying out intensified attacks on the civilian infrastructure of the Zaporizhia and Kherson regions. Due to strikes on a large electrical substation on June 5, more than 190 settlements were left without electricity, water and communications. By the evening, electricity and water supply were restored in some of them. Izvestia investigated whether these strikes, as well as the attacks on the Crimean Bridge, could be part of the preparation for the Ukrainian Armed Forces offensive in the south of the SVR zone.

Drone strikes and Ukrainian Armed Forces activity

The governor of the Kherson region, Vladimir Saldo, said that he had a telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Against the background of massive strikes on civilian infrastructure, the Head of State asked about the situation in the region.

"Vladimir Vladimirovich is closely monitoring the situation after massive strikes on the civilian infrastructure of the Kherson region. He asked about the situation, asked what kind of help was needed, and thanked them for their coordinated recovery efforts. I noted separately that the effective actions of our military made it possible to significantly reduce the possible consequences," the head of the Kherson region wrote on his Telegram channel.

In the Kherson region, more than 120,000 people were left without electricity and water due to the Ukrainian Armed Forces strikes, Vladimir Saldo said on the morning of June 5.

"At 23:10 Moscow time (June 4 — Ed.), as a result of the shelling, the 150 kV Novotroitskoye substation was de-energized. 192 settlements in seven municipal districts — over 120,000 people - were left without electricity and water," he said.

Earlier, Vladimir Saldo wrote that "a massive drone attack is underway in the region, and the air defense forces are working."

According to him, serious damage was recorded in the power grids of Genichesky, Novotroitsky, Ivanovsky, Cheretikhsky, as well as partially Gornostayevsky, Verkhnerogachinsky and Nizhneserogozsky municipalities.

In the morning, the water pumping stations were connected to emergency power supplies. The supply of drinking and industrial water to residents of settlements affected by the shutdown has also been organized, the governor said.

During the day, the Ukrainian Armed Forces launched 40 artillery strikes on the left bank of the Dnieper River in the Kherson region, eight settlements in the region were attacked, the emergency services of the region reported on the morning of June 5.

In the Zaporizhia region, after the UAV raid, power was cut off, except for Melitopol, the cities of Kamenka-Dneprovskaya, Energodar, Berdyansk and several districts, Governor Yevgeny Balitsky said. According to him, the attack was aimed at power supply facilities, according to preliminary data, more than ten enemy UAVs were shot down. An elderly resident of Melitopol was slightly injured as a result of a drone strike.

The Ukrainian Armed Forces attacked the Zaporizhia NPP with the help of UAVs, the station's press service reported.

"The arrival of the drones of the Armed Forces of Ukraine fell on the roof of the building G of the Zaporizhia NPP training center, where the world's only full-scale simulator of the reactor hall is located," the Telegram channel of the NPP clarified.

The press service noted that no critical damage was recorded.

The heads of the two regions also reported that all necessary work is underway to eliminate the consequences of the shelling.

The previous massive attack on new regions was launched by the enemy on the night of June 3. More than 100,000 residents of 150 settlements of the Kherson region were left without electricity due to an emergency power outage. Evgeny Balitsky reported that high-voltage equipment in the northwestern part of the region was damaged due to shelling by Ukrainian forces, there is no electricity throughout the territory of the Zaporizhia region, and healthcare facilities have been switched to backup power sources.

On June 4, an attempt was made to attack the Crimean Bridge. Russian Presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed the explosion at the Crimean Bridge, noting that there were no injuries.

— There really was an explosion. Nothing is damaged, the bridge is working," Peskov said.

Izvestia's sources on the ground report that the Ukrainian Armed Forces began to conduct attacks on civilian targets in the rear with increased vigor on the night of June 3 and have been much more active than usual since then. In particular, electricity, water and communications have been cut off more than once in the Zaporizhia region. And not only the mobile Internet, which is often unstable.

According to the interlocutors of the publication, first of all, strikes are inflicted on the power system. UAVs are mainly involved in the raids, and cluster munitions are actively used in frontline areas.

Desire without opportunity

According to experts interviewed by Izvestia, the intensification of attacks by the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the southern direction is probably caused by a desire to demonstrate some military capabilities in order to strengthen negotiating positions. However, the enemy has no real forces capable of changing the situation on the battlefield.

The Ukrainian Armed Forces may want to attack in the south of their defense zone, but they do not have the capabilities for this, military expert Vladislav Shurygin believes.

"They have nothing to attack on land in the Kherson region, and they cannot transfer troops across the Dnieper," he noted. — An attempt to land by sea may be made, but it will be a one-way trip for its participants, no one will return from there. The task of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is to put as much pressure on our territories as possible in order to influence the media agenda that is developing around the negotiations. To try to create the feeling that they are an equal party at the negotiating table, which, of course, is not the case in reality.

"Indeed, the enemy is becoming more active in the Kherson and Zaporizhia regions," military expert Alexei Leonkov told Izvestia.

But, according to him, the Ukrainian Armed Forces cannot conduct serious offensive operations now, even when conducting defense, they have serious problems.

"Now the weapons, ammunition and military equipment that Ukraine receives from the United States come from the so—called Biden package," he said. — All this was allocated under the last president of the United States and diligently stretched all these months to keep the Ukrainian Armed Forces afloat.

According to the expert, the United States is now making it clear to the Ukrainian authorities that it is "not to them for weapons, it is to Europe."

"But things are not going smoothly there either," the expert noted. — The recently concluded meeting in Ramstein was held for Kiev with far from the best results. They didn't get what they wanted, but what Europe still has. These are still two big differences.

Alexey Leonkov also noted that the United Kingdom wants to return the United States to the list of countries actively opposing Russia and, most importantly, force the United States to pay for the continuation of the actions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

"For this reason, the current escalation is primarily beneficial to them," the expert stressed.

According to him, this is why Britain requires Kiev to be active, no matter what.