{
  "id": 887743,
  "title": "Russia’s MoD threatens to “freeze” Ukrainians this winter, Kyiv responds by saying it will “get warm by the flames of Russian refineries”",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/14/russias-mod-threatens-to-freeze-ukrainians-this-winter-kyiv-responds",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-14T16:43:14.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Insider",
    "slug": "the-insider",
    "url": "https://theins.press/en/news/296046"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "On August 14, Russia's Ministry of Defense posted on their Telegram channel, warning Ukrainians, \"You're in for a deep freeze this winter.\" This followed a statement about strikes on Ukraine's port infrastructure and vessels used by the Ukrainian military. The Ministry's post included the caption, \"You're in for a deep freeze this winter.\"\n\nWithin hours, the Ukrainian Armed Forces' Center for Strategic Communications responded with an image of a burning Russian oil refinery. The caption read, \"We'll warm ourselves with the flames of Russian refineries.\"\n\nEarlier, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated that it was unacceptable to cease fighting along the current line of contact. He emphasized that the conflict wasn't just about comfort, but about the responsibility for the thousand-year history of the Russian state. Lavrov said, \"Our people are suffering, people are dying from these terrorist acts. It is about our responsibility.\"\n\nJust a day prior, Ukraine had proposed a mutual halt to attacks on civilian sites in the Black Sea, citing the threat to global food supply chains. Turkey's Foreign Minister, Hakan Fidan, had also suggested a moratorium on strikes against commercial vessels in the Black Sea, but Russia had not formally responded to this proposal.\n\nUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had previously proposed a direct meeting between himself and Putin for a ceasefire, which never came to fruition. Since 2022, Russia has intensified its strikes on Ukraine's energy infrastructure every fall, aiming to leave the country without electricity and heating during the winter months. In 2024, Russia managed to disable about 80% of Ukraine's power generating capacity, damaging almost all major thermal power plants.\n\nAs winter approaches, Russian forces have been focusing on destroying Ukraine's electricity grid, targeting substations and power lines in the Sumy, Chernihiv, and Kharkiv regions.",
  "summary": "On Aug. 14, Russia’s Ministry of Defense published a post on its Telegram channel showing drones with a caption reading: “You’re in for a deep freeze this winter.” The post followed a ministry statement about strikes “on Ukraine’s port infrastructure and seagoing vessels used in the interests of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.” The caption under the MoD's post reads “You’re in for a deep freeze this…",
  "key_points": [
    "Russia's MoD threatens to \"freeze\" Ukrainians this winter.",
    "Kyiv responds by saying it will \"get warm by the flames of Russian refineries.\"",
    "Ukraine has disabled about 80% of Russia's power generating capacity."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "New Voice of Ukraine",
        "title": "Moscow threatens to “freeze” Ukrainians this winter, Kyiv vows equal response",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/14/moscow-threatens-to-freeze-ukrainians-this-winter-kyiv-vows-equal",
        "published": "2026-08-14T09:52:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}