Blackouts hit Ukraine after wave of Russian strikes

There is no electricity in the second-largest city of Kharkiv, says regional head Oleg Synehubov.

Fifteen blasts were reported in Kharkiv, while more than 53,000 households in Odesa were without power.

Ukraine’s energy minister, German Galushchenko, accused Russia of trying to provoke “a large-scale failure of the country’s energy system”.

A power line feeding the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant had been cut, he added.

Regional head Ivan Fedorov said the power station was “on the verge of a blackout”, adding that seven buildings in the region had been destroyed and 35 others damaged.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia had launched more than 60 Shahed drones and about 90 missiles into Ukraine during the wave of overnight attacks.

At least two people have been reported killed and 14 wounded.

The fresh onslaught comes a day after Russian forces launched one of their biggest air strikes in weeks on the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv. At least 17 people, including a child, were injured by falling debris.

The latest attack prompted President Zelensky to renew his call for more military aid and additional air defence systems from Western allies.

He said that the shortfall in ammunition facing his troops was “humiliating” for Europe, adding: “Europe can provide more, and it is crucial to prove it now.”

Ukraine’s state hydropower company said a Russian strike had also hit its largest dam, the DniproHES in Zaporizhzhia.

Blasts were also reported in Kryvyi Rih, which is President Zelensky’s hometown, and Vinnytsia, both in central Ukraine. They damaged a “critical infrastructure object”, said Ukrainian officials.

Attacks on energy grids have been part of Russia’s warfare against Ukraine. In the autumn and winter of 2022, Moscow carried out widespread strikes on Ukrainian power infrastructure, plunging millions of people into darkness and depriving them of heat, power and water. The attacks left 17 million Ukrainians without a regular supply of electricity for extended periods.

President Zelensky has often described the Russian attacks on power stations as “energy terrorism”.

Earlier this month, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for two top Russian commanders, accusing them of ordering attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure.

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