(Kyiv) Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday accused Moscow of a “massive attack” with 36 rocket attacks on his country overnight from Friday to Saturday.
Posted at 7:33 a.m.
Updated at 9:31 a.m.
“The aggressor continues to terrorize our country. During the night, the aggressor launched a massive attack, with 36 rocket fires”, counted the Ukrainian president, on social networks.
The new Russian strikes targeted energy infrastructure in western Ukraine, operator Ukrenergo said, while officials reported power cuts in several parts of the country.
Russian forces “carried out a new attack with missiles on energy facilities of the main networks in the western regions of Ukraine”, explained Ukrenergo on social networks.
“The extent of the damage is comparable to or could exceed the consequences of the October 10-12 attack,” the operator added.
More than a million homes are without electricity in Ukraine, announced on Saturday an adviser to the presidency, Kyrylo Tymoshenko.
“To date, 672,000 subscribers have been disconnected in the Khmelnytskyi region, 188,400 in the Mikolaiv region, 102,000 in the Volyn region, 242,000 in the Cherkasy region, 174,790 in the Rivne region, 61 913 in the Kirovograd region and 10,500 in the Odessa region,” detailed Mr. Tymoshenko on social networks.
Energy restrictions are “forcibly applied” in several regions, including the capital Kyiv and its region, Ukrenergo said, promising that its specialists “take all measures to restore the supply of electricity as soon as possible in the regions currently deprived of electricity”.
At the same time, Ukrainians have already voluntarily reduced their electricity consumption by 5% to 20% on average on certain days and in certain regions, Ukrenergo boss Volodymyr Kudrytsky told AFP in a written statement.
“We are grateful, both to the people who have reduced consumption at home and to the companies who are doing the same,” he added.
Officials across the country had earlier reported power cuts after fresh strikes.
In western Ukraine, electricity and water were cut off in some areas of the Volhynia region, according to its governor. The town of Khmelnytsky was without power and city officials called on residents to prepare for water cuts.
In the Rivne region, also in the west, Governor Vitali Koval said attacks had targeted the region’s “energy infrastructure” in the morning, damaging electricity substations.
Power cuts were also reported in the Odessa region (South-West) after “two missile strikes on the energy infrastructure” of the region, said Governor Maxim Marchenko.
The governor of the Kirovohrad region (Centre) for his part asked local businesses and residents to reduce their electricity consumption after the strikes on “important” energy infrastructure.
Civilians to leave Kherson “immediately”
Pro-Russian authorities in the Kherson region, annexed by Russia in southern Ukraine, on Saturday called on all civilians to leave the eponymous regional capital “immediately” in the face of advancing forces from Kyiv.
PHOTO ALEXANDER ERMOCHENKO, REUTERS
“All civilian inhabitants of Kherson must immediately leave the city,” the pro-Russian occupation administration in the region said on Telegram, referring to a “tense situation on the front” and “an increased danger of massive shelling”.
Evacuations to the left bank of the Dnieper River, which borders Kherson, have been underway since Wednesday.
Two dead in Belgorod
Two people were killed on Saturday in Ukrainian strikes against the Russian region of Belgorod, bordering Ukraine, regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said on Telegram.
The shelling targeted “civilian infrastructure” in the town of Chebekino, Gladkov said.
“Two civilians were killed” and around 15,000 people were left without power, he said.
According to the governor, it will take between five and six hours to restore the power supply to homes.
Russia denounced in mid-October a “considerable increase” in Ukrainian fire on several Russian border regions, including that of Belgorod, but also that of Kursk and Bryansk.
For example, an oil depot near Belgorod was recently bombed by Ukrainian forces and a power station in Belgorod, the regional capital, the latter strike causing a major power outage.