Zelensky decries latest Russian attack, calls for more sanctions

Russia bombed another power plant in Ukraine, killing two people, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his nightly video address on Thursday.

The thermal power plant in Sloviansk, the largest city in the Donetsk region still under Kiev’s control, was hit, Zelensky said.

“Unfortunately two people died,” he said, adding that several people were injured.

The attack follows one of the heaviest nights of the war for Ukraine, with numerous strikes on energy facilities.

Faced with targeted attacks on civilian infrastructure, Zelensky described this as terror and said the world had to respond. He cited, recent sanctions imposed on Russian oil companies as an example of such a response, saying the sanctions had shown a clear effect.

Calls for more punitive measures

“Oil exports are the foundation of Russian arrogance and if the sanctions remain or are tightened, Russia will suffer significant losses,” the Ukrainian leader said. By his estimate, Moscow could lose about $50 billion next year. Tougher sanctions would be a strong measure to get Russia to stop the war, he said.