NATO member states have agreed to prioritize the protection of Ukraine’s infrastructure, said the alliance’s military chief, Mark Rutte, on Wednesday.
Russia continues to relentlessly bombard Ukrainian cities and towns with rockets and drones.
Speaking to reporters before the second day of NATO foreign ministers’ meetings with 32 member countries, Rutte mentioned that the discussion focused on providing Ukraine with sufficient air defense systems to protect its infrastructure from Russian attacks.
“There was clear agreement last night that supporting Ukraine, particularly its infrastructure, should be a priority,” said Rutte.
“I believe the allies will ensure in the days and weeks ahead that they provide Ukraine with whatever they can,” he added.
This marks the third consecutive winter that Russia has been attacking Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, resulting in casualties and disrupting power supplies for thousands of civilians.
On Wednesday morning, Russian drones targeted the northern Chernihiv region, damaging several homes in a village, reported regional governor Vyacheslav Chaus on Telegram.
In the central Vinnytsya region, debris from a downed drone caused a fire in a house in the Haisin district, partially destroying it, said Ukraine’s Emergency Service.
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian Air Force reported that Russia launched one missile and 50 drones at targets in Ukraine.
Ukraine’s air defense shot down 29 drones across nine regions — Kyiv, Kharkiv, Poltava, Sumy, Chernihiv, Khmelnytsky, Ternopil, Mykolaiv, and Donetsk, it said.
Meanwhile, powerful explosions were reported overnight in the Russian port of Novorossiysk on the Black Sea, which is one of Russia’s main oil export centers and an important military port for part of Russia’s Black Sea fleet.
Air raid sirens were issued in this area, and Novorossiysk’s mayor, Andrei Kravchenko, urged residents to shelter due to a drone attack.
Neither Ukraine nor Russia have commented on the explosions yet. /REL
