Europe has entered ‘pre-war era’, warns Polish PM

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has warned of the "real" threat of conflict in Europe, saying that for the first time since the end of World War II the continent has entered a "pre-war era".

"War is no longer a concept from the past. It is real, and it started over two years ago. The most worrying thing at the moment is that literally any scenario is possible. We haven't seen a situation like this since 1945," Tusk said in an interview with the European media grouping LENA on Friday.

"I know it sounds devastating, especially for the younger generation, but we have to get used to the fact that a new era has begun: the pre-war era. I'm not exaggerating; it's becoming clearer every day."

Russia's invasion of Ukraine more than two years ago upended European leaders' sense of unshakeable post-war peace, prompting many countries to gear up weapons production to supply both Kiev and their own militaries.

Former European Council president Tusk, whose country has been one of the staunchest supporters of neighbouring Ukraine, said Friday that if Kyiv lost, "no one" in Europe would feel safe.

Also front of mind for the continent is the potential return of former US president Donald Trump, whose openly NATO-sceptic posture has raised questions over the reliability of American military assistance should he be re-elected in November.

"Our job is to nurture transatlantic relations, regardless of who the US president is," Tusk said in the interview.

Blackouts hit Ukraine regions

Ukraine said Friday that it had imposed emergency blackouts on several regions after Russia fired dozens of missiles and drones at its power stations overnight.

Moscow has stepped up its aerial bombardment of Ukraine in recent weeks, targeting energy infrastructure in response to deadly Ukrainian assaults on Russia's border regions.

National grid operator Ukrenergo said its dispatch centre was "forced to apply emergency blackout schedules in the regions of Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kirovograd until the evening".

Restrictions were already in place in the major cities of Kharkiv and Kryvyi Rih following a Russian strike last week.

"Consumers in other regions are asked to use electricity sparingly and consciously," Ukrenergo said.

The attacks come at a difficult time for Ukraine, which is facing critical shortages of air defences to protect its skies and ammunition to defend the front lines.

Ukraine's foreign ministry said the air attacks were "becoming more frequent and massive, posing an increasing threat to Ukraine's energy security".

"Ukraine needs more air defence systems to secure critical infrastructure and protect the population," Prime Minister Denys Shmygal said in a renewed plea to Kyiv's Western allies.

The White House called the latest Russian strikes "a terrible reminder of Vladimir Putin's efforts to break the spirit of the Ukrainian people" and urged the US Congress to pass a bill to fund Ukraine's defences.

"Ukraine's need is urgent, and we cannot afford any further delays," National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson said in a statement.

The Russian defence ministry acknowledged it had used "long-range air, sea and land-based precision weapons" to target energy facilities.

- Power plants hit -

Both sides accused each other of attacking civilian areas deep behind enemy lines on Friday.

A Russian drone killed a 39-year-old man and wounded another person near Ukraine's southeastern city of Nikopol, while an air attack on Kamianske further north injured five people, including a child, authorities in Ukraine said.

Another 50-year-old man, a farmer, was found dead in the southern region of Kherson, its Ukrainian governor said, apparently after the tractor he was operating hit a mine.

In Russia, a Ukrainian drone crashed into an apartment building in the border city of Belgorod, killing a man and wounding two others, the region's governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said.

Russia has battered Ukrainian energy infrastructure throughout the war, now in its third year.

President Volodymyr Zelensky has called the attacks "energy terrorism" and the United Nations has described them as illegal.

The air force said Moscow had targeted Ukraine's "fuel and energy sector" with 99 missiles and drones overnight, 84 of which were shot down.

"Russian missiles hit thermal and hydroelectric power plants," Ukrenergo said.

One of the country's main energy providers, DTEK, said three thermal power stations had been attacked in the barrage, leaving facilities "severely damaged".

"After the attack, the power engineers promptly started to deal with the consequences," the company said in a statement online, adding that one employee had been wounded.

Ukraine's energy ministry said that seven regions overall had sustained power cuts, asking citizens to show "understanding for these temporary difficulties".

On the front lines, Ukraine has been forced onto a defensive footing in the past few months, struggling with ammunition shortages amid delays to a $60 billion aid package from the United States.

Its armed forces commander, Oleksandr Syrsky, said Friday that the situation in some areas of the battlefield was "tense".

"The Russian occupiers continue to increase their efforts and have a numerical advantage in personnel," he said.

"In addition, the enemy is conducting heavy artillery and mortar fire," he added.

"Just a few days ago, the enemy's advantage in terms of ammunition fired was about six to one."

bur-js/jj/acb/nro

© Agence France-Presse