KYIV, UKRAINE, March 28 – The Center for Countering Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council said on March 28 that reported information about Russian military preparations for an offensive on Kharkiv is “part of a hostile fear propaganda campaign” and is not valid.
“Russia does not have the resources to attack Kharkiv. All their stories about their readiness to encircle the city are intended for domestic and foreign audiences and are part of the “fear propaganda” campaign. Talks about 350,000 soldiers they want to recruit for this task and Solovyov’s threats are just talks for now. This is an information and psychological special operation,” said Andriy Kovalenko, center’s head.
According to him, the Armed Forces are ready for all possible threats.
After Vladimir Putin was re-elected for the next presidential term, the Russian military and political leadership is considering plans to “at least capture Kharkiv.” This was reported by the Russian media outlet Medusa, which operates outside Russia but cites its sources in the Kremlin.
According to Medusa’s sources, Russian officials are convinced that “the Russian army can take Kharkiv, but further advancement deeper into Ukraine is considered more difficult.” At the same time, all the publication’s sources note: “There is no information that a decision on a large-scale offensive on Kharkiv has already been made.” However, they agree that this is “a very likely scenario” that could theoretically require a new wave of mobilization.
Blackout in Ukraine
On the night and morning of March 22, Russian troops struck again in Ukraine, and the Ministry of Energy noted that this was the most massive attack on the Ukrainian energy sector in recent times.
The strikes, including on energy infrastructure, were reported in Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Dnipropetrovsk, Vinnytsia, Khmelnytskyi, Ivano-Frankivsk, Lviv, Poltava, and Sumy regions.
After the massive Russian shelling on March 22, which damaged the energy infrastructure, power supply has been restored almost everywhere. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said this in his video statement.
“We continue to eliminate the consequences of the Russian terrorist attack that took place on Friday. People have been working almost continuously for the second day. At this time, normal power supply has been restored almost everywhere. There were some problems in Odesa, such as emergency power cuts, and everything is being done to normalize the situation. Unfortunately, Kharkiv is still complicated,” the President said.
The President thanked the rescuers, police officers, employees of energy companies, and everyone who is helping to eliminate the consequences of the Russian terrorist attack.
Zelenskyy particularly praised the power engineers of Ivano-Frankivsk, Vinnytsia, Khmelnytskyi, Sumy, Poltava, Dnipro, and Zaporizhzhia regions for their efficient work.
Due to a shortage of energy after massive Russian shelling, various districts of Kharkiv have no electricity for four to six hours a day, Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov said.
“Almost all houses in Kharkiv are affected by blackout schedules because there is a electricity shortage. There is no electricity for four to six hours a day – it varies from neighborhood to neighborhood. Unfortunately, this is the case because the power comes from different sources. That is why it is impossible to say that all Kharkiv residents will be subject to a six- or four-hour power outage, because different sources supply the city of Kharkiv,” the mayor said.
In addition, Terekhov said that to reduce the pressure on the power system, the city has ended the heating season ahead of schedule. According to him, this step will allow the maximum number of consumers to provide electricity and hot water to the homes of Kharkiv residents.
Earlier, the Energy Ministry reported that the power supply situation in Kharkiv is difficult, with hourly blackouts in place. 215,800 consumers do not have electricity. In the region, 15,000 consumers in 62 settlements are without power.
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