There have been emergency power cuts in all regions of the country, according to the national operator Ukrenergo.
Russia has attacked Ukraine’s energy infrastructure in a large-scale missile attack on Wednesday, hitting multiple targets in the capital kyiv and elsewhere in the country.
Emergency power outages have occurred in all regions as a result of the attack, Ukraine’s national power grid operator Ukrenergo reported.
kyiv Mayor Vitaly Klitschko said there were explosions in various parts of the city and the water supply was cut off. He also mentioned the power shortage.
According to the kyiv military administration, a shell hit a residential building, killing at least three people and injuring six others. However, it is not yet clear whether it was a Russian missile or one fired by Ukrainian air defenses.
The entire Odessa region has lost power amid the attack, local authorities said. In Kharkov, Ukraine’s second-largest city, the metro system came to a standstill due to a power outage and people were evacuated to the surface, the mayor said.
The southern Ukrainian nuclear power plant in the southern city of Nikolaev has been forced to shut down all its reactors, according to media reports. The plant became the largest in Ukraine after the Zaporozhye region, which is home to the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant, joined the Russian state last month as a result of a referendum.
Local authorities have also confirmed the shutdown of the reactors at the Khmelnytskyi nuclear power plant in western Ukraine.
Officials have also reported strikes and power outages in Lviv, Nikolaev, Khmelnytsky, Sumy and other places.
The neighboring former Soviet Republic of Moldova has also experienced power outages as a result of Russian attacks on Ukraine. The country’s energy system is connected to Ukraine’s. There have been blackouts in the capital Chisinau and other parts of the country, and the breakaway region of Transnistria has also been affected.
Russia has increased pressure on Ukraine since October 10, when it accused kyiv of using “terrorist tactics” and to target Russian infrastructure, including the strategic Crimean Bridge. Since then, missile attacks on Ukraine’s energy facilities, including power plants, have caused blackouts across the country. kyiv authorities said at least 40% of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure has been destroyed by Russian strikes so far.
During his interview with the BBC at the weekend, Maksim Timchenko, director of the largest private energy company DTEK Holding, said that Ukrainians should consider traveling abroad during the winter. “If they can find an alternative place to stay for another three to four months, it will be a great help to the system.” Timchenko said.
Earlier this week, Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov said that Russia was not seeking regime change in kyiv as part of its military operation. He reiterated that Moscow had not ruled out peace talks with Ukraine and said that its goals in the country could be achieved. “by various methods and in various formats”. And they will eventually be achieved, Peskov assured reporters.