Ukraine is preparing for another winter of Russian attacks on their energy infrastructure and is vowing to fight back.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has announced that his country’s defenses are preparing for another winter of Russian attacks on energy infrastructure. However, this time around, Ukraine is ready to respond and fight back against these attacks. Last winter, Moscow targeted Ukraine’s power grid with drones and missiles, hoping to weaken the country’s resistance to Russia’s invasion by denying civilians access to heating. Ukraine has characterized these attacks as an attempt to weaponize winter.

The upcoming wintry weather could further complicate battlefield movements in the ongoing conflict, which is largely deadlocked. Both sides may be compelled to focus more on long-range strikes, including the use of drones, which have played a significant role in the war. Russia has been damaging Ukrainian infrastructure to erode the country’s will to resist.

Recently, Russia fired 11 Shahed drones at targets deep inside Ukraine, causing falling debris to damage power lines near a nuclear power plant in the country’s west. While Ukraine claimed to have intercepted all the drones, falling wreckage caused damage to the local nuclear plant, resulting in a power outage for over 1,800 customers. The plant is located approximately 120 miles east of the border with Poland.

The Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based think tank, has suggested that Moscow is expanding and diversifying its arsenal of drones, missiles, and guided bombs in preparation for strikes against Ukrainian critical infrastructure ahead of the change in weather. It appears that Russia is increasingly using cheaper and lighter domestically produced drone variants, such as the Italmas with a range of about 120 miles and an upgraded version of the Lancet drone with an extended range.

In response to these attacks, Ukrainian President Zelensky has vowed to retaliate if Russia attempts the same move again. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu has visited the country’s forces in eastern Ukraine to discuss preparations for the winter. The chief of the eastern group of forces has reported the formation of dedicated drone units and tactics for capturing Ukrainian strongholds.

The ongoing conflict has resulted in casualties, with at least three civilians killed and 22 injured in various regions of Ukraine over the past 24 hours. It is clear that Ukraine is determined to protect its energy infrastructure and fight back against Russian attacks as it prepares for another winter of potential aggression.