Massive Russian Strikes on Ukraine Energy Grid Leave Hundreds of Thousands Without Electricity
Russian strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure leave over 850,000 without power as casualties rise and temperatures drop.
POLICY WIRE — Kyiv, Ukraine — A wave of Russian aerial attacks targeting Ukrainian energy infrastructure has left hundreds of thousands of citizens without electricity, officials reported Sunday.
In the central Dnipropetrovsk region, the utility provider DTEK announced that more than 600,000 residents lost power following an overnight assault that damaged vital energy facilities.
DTEK noted that repair crews are currently attempting to restore service, though these efforts are being made difficult by a continuous series of enemy attacks.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that the nighttime strikes have triggered extensive blackouts throughout the entire nation.
In the Zhytomyr region, the President highlighted that 140 apartment buildings lost heating after a strike, occurring as local temperatures remained near the freezing point.
Further to the northeast, Mykola Baksheyev, the mayor of Zlatopil, reported on social media that a Russian drone struck a piece of critical infrastructure.
Baksheyev indicated that nearly 250,000 customers in the Kharkiv region were left without electricity following that specific incident.
The death toll from the ongoing violence has climbed to 55 people, up from a previous estimate of 50 provided by emergency services.
Zelenskyy explained that an FPV drone targeted the village of Komyshuvakha in the Zaporizhzhia region Sunday morning, where rescuers had been working for a week after a deadly Monday strike.
The President expressed concern that additional individuals might remain trapped under debris at the Komyshuvakha site.
These latest developments follow a report from the energy ministry on Saturday stating that a massive offensive had plunged five regions into darkness and severely disrupted power transmission into Kyiv.
Zelenskyy had previously suggested that Russia is increasing the frequency of attacks ahead of scheduled trilateral talks to take place next week.
Reporting by Policy-Wire (PW)
