The energy truce that never was: predictable delaying tactics for new missile strikes
3 February 19:29
The “energy truce” has effectively ended — Russia is once again attacking Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. As a result of the shelling, consumers in several regions have been left without electricity, and emergency repair work is ongoing.
There is a power shortage in Kyiv and the Kyiv region. A return to hourly power outage schedules in the capital is possible after the power system stabilizes.
Due to difficult weather conditions, more than 160 settlements in the Odesa, Mykolaiv, and Kirovohrad regions are currently without power, according to Artem Nekrasov, Deputy Minister of Energy of Ukraine. He said that power company specialists are working around the clock to repair the damaged lines.
Shelling of Ukraine
On the night of February 3, Russian troops attacked eight regions of Ukraine, focusing their strikes mainly on energy infrastructure facilities. This was reported by First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Energy Denys Shmyhal.
According to him, the enemy used various types of weapons, including ballistic and cruise missiles, as well as strike drones. The shelling was directed, in particular, at residential buildings and combined heat and power plants in Kyiv, Kharkiv, and Dnipro, which were working exclusively to provide heat to the areas.
Shmyhal stressed that as a result of the attacks, hundreds of thousands of families were left without heat in the midst of severe frosts.
After a massive nighttime attack by Russia on energy facilities in the capital, the Darnytskyi and Dniprovskyi districts of Kyiv were left without heat. In these areas on the left bank of the Dnipro River, emergency power outages have been partially implemented.
It is also reported that as a result of the shelling in Kyiv, high-rise buildings were damaged, a fire broke out in a kindergarten, and there are casualties.
Ceasefires are only possible if the rules of war are observed
The Russian Federation systematically uses so-called “ceasefires” exclusively to prepare new strikes and does not comply with any agreements. This was stated in a comment "Komersant Ukrainian" by the spokesman for the Ukrainian Volunteer Army, Serhiy Bratchuk.
According to Bratchuk, any pause in hostilities is only possible if the parties adhere to at least the basic rules of warfare.
“If the other side adheres to at least some basic rules of warfare — does not openly fight civilians, does not attack critical infrastructure — then it is possible and necessary to establish certain truces, in particular energy truces,” he said.
At the same time, the speaker stressed that these rules do not apply to the Russian Federation. Serhiy Bratchuk recalled that the so-called “energy truce,” which US President Donald Trump had previously announced, was broken by Russia almost immediately.
“Trump said that Putin promised not to shell Ukraine’s energy infrastructure for a week. But there was already a ‘smell’ of planes in the air — they were taking off on combat missions. Russia lied and always lies,” Bratchuk stressed.
According to him, Moscow traditionally uses such pauses to build up its forces and prepare new attacks.
The UDA spokesman drew attention to the fact that the intensification of Russian shelling often coincides with international diplomatic meetings.
“We understand that another round of negotiations in Abu Dhabi is coming up. Before the previous meeting, Russia very hastily began shelling the Ukrainian capital — various types of missiles were fired, and everything that was available was used,” he recalled.
Ukraine complied with the agreements
Bratchuk emphasized that Ukraine, even despite the verbal nature of the agreements, demonstrated its readiness for peace.
“For several nights, Ukraine adhered to these agreements. Our drones did not fly anywhere, no legitimate military targets on the territory of the Russian Federation were hit. Ukraine has once again shown that we want peace,” he said.
According to the spokesperson for the Ukrainian Volunteer Army, the only way to force Russia to comply with any agreements is through force and tough sanctions.
“Russia only understands force. When Russia feels pain, it realizes it. When sanctions against the shadow fleet and tanker fleet take effect, when they are actually enforced, then Moscow will begin to understand something,” Bratchuk emphasized.
He also added that resuming strikes on legitimate military targets in Russia could quickly bring Russia back to reality.
In conclusion, Serhiy Bratchuk noted that the main question was not whether Russia would violate the agreements, but when it would happen.
“For me, the question was only one: how quickly would Russia violate what was announced not by it, but initially by President Trump. In this situation, you know, pass it all on to Trump,” he concluded.
Therefore, statements about possible truces, particularly in the energy sector, in the case of the Russian Federation remain purely declarative and have no practical substance. As the experience of full-scale war shows, Moscow not only fails to comply with any verbal or written agreements, but also systematically uses the very fact of announcing pauses as an element of military and political manipulation. For the Kremlin, a truce is not a tool for de-escalation, but a convenient moment to regroup forces, prepare new strikes, and increase pressure on both Ukraine and its international partners.
The events surrounding the so-called “energy truce” demonstrate once again that Russia does not recognize any rules of warfare and deliberately attacks the civilian population and critical infrastructure under the guise of diplomatic rhetoric. The intensification of shelling on the eve of international negotiations or important meetings is a constant tactic of the Kremlin, aimed at intimidation, demonstration of force, and devaluation of any mediation efforts by the West.
At the same time, even in the absence of formalized and legally binding agreements, Ukraine has repeatedly demonstrated its willingness to de-escalate and observe declared ceasefires. This position underscores the fundamental difference in the approaches of the parties: Kyiv sees a ceasefire as a step toward peace, while Moscow sees it as an instrument of war. This creates an obvious imbalance, in which Ukraine’s unilateral restraint does not lead to a reduction in violence, but rather encourages Russia to launch new attacks.
