Russia again accuses Ukraine of power grid attacks, Kyiv denies
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine denied the claim of the Russian Foreign Ministry about the alleged attack on Russian energy facilities, according to its statement.
Russian spokesperson Maria Zakharova claimed during a briefing that Ukraine conducted 30 attacks on energy facilities since the truce began, including a supposed April 2 strike on a gas distribution station in occupied Luhansk. Ukraine’s General Staff dismissed these as baseless.
Ukraine strictly adheres to agreements with partners and has not struck energy targets in Russia or occupied Ukrainian territories, the General Staff said, stressing that its fire is directed solely at Russian military targets.
It pointed to Russia’s own breaches, noting attacks on energy sites in Kharkiv, Poltava, Dnipropetrovsk, and Kherson oblasts in late March.
“The diplomatic department of the aggressor country traditionally spreads false and baseless accusations in order to shift the blame for the failure of the peaceful settlement onto Ukraine and continue the war of aggression against our country,” the statement reads.
Agreement to stop attacks on infrastructure
The energy truce stemmed from March 23-25 talks in Saudi Arabia, mediated by the U.S., where Ukraine and Russia—via American intermediaries—agreed to halt strikes on each other’s energy infrastructure for 30 days. Both sides submitted lists of protected sites.
Yet, on March 26, Russia’s Defense Ministry alleged Ukrainian violations, a claim the General Staff rejected.
On March 28, Russian forces hit Naftogaz gas facilities during a massive assault.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov later said Russia reserves the right to ignore the ceasefire, citing supposed Ukrainian breaches—assertions Ukraine has consistently debunked.