kyiv, Ukraine (HPD) — Russian missile and shell attacks have left more cities, towns and parts of two cities in the dark, Ukrainian authorities said Wednesday. The new attacks increased the pressure on Ukraine and threatened to bring a winter of hardship to millions of people.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy again urged Ukrainians to make a “very conscious effort” to save energy before another night of attacks on power stations and other infrastructure.
The attacks left parts of Energodar without electricity or running water, said the mayor, Dmytyo Orlov. The southern city is close to the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, one of the main sources of concern in the invasion that began almost eight months ago.
The missiles caused serious damage to a power center in the Krivoy Rog region, a city in south-central Ukraine, according to the regional governor. Several towns and an urban district were left without electricity.
For almost two weeks now, a barrage of Russian attacks with missiles, kamikaze drones and other explosive weapons against critical Ukrainian infrastructure has opened a new phase in Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war and tested the resilience shown by the Ukrainians since the invasion of Moscow.
Zelenksyy tweeted Tuesday that nearly a third of Ukraine’s power plants have been destroyed since Oct. 10 and “mass blackouts” have occurred across the country.
In his nightly video message, Zelenskyy said Tuesday that turning off appliances and taking other measures to save energy during peak hours helps “the whole country.”
He also thanked the Ukrainian soldiers who shot down Iranian-made missiles and drones that were aimed at energy facilities.
Several Western countries have promised more anti-aircraft systems to help Ukraine deal with the offensive. A system provided by Germany has been deployed and works well against Russian attacks, Zelenskyy said.