Russian strikes also resulted in the shutdown of nuclear power plants and led to communication issues, Ukraine’s president said
About ten million Ukrainians have been left without electricity due to a Russian missile barrage, President Vladimir Zelensky said on Wednesday. In recent weeks, Moscow has been targeting the Ukrainian power grid after Moscow accused Kiev of staging ‘sabotage’ attacks on its critical infrastructure.
In a video address on Telegram, Zelensky stated that many Ukrainian cities are experiencing power outages, with Kiev, Kharkov, Zhytomyr, and Lviv Regions affected the most. “About ten million Ukrainians are without electricity,” he said.
The Ukrainian President also noted internet connection and communication issues across the entire country. Moreover, due to Russian strikes several nuclear units have been automatically shut down at two nuclear power plants, Zelensky claimed, without providing any more details.
“These were the calculated consequences: the enemy knew what he was doing,” he added.
Zelensky also claimed that in total Russian forces had launched 90 missiles at Ukraine. On Tuesday, Kirill Timoshenko, the deputy head of the presidential administration, called the situation in the wake of the attacks “critical,” adding that most strikes targeted facilities in the center and north of the country.
“The situation in the capital is extremely serious, special emergency power cut schedules are being put in place,” he said.
Ukraine has been experiencing rolling power outages since Moscow launched strikes on its energy infrastructure on October 10, after accusing Kiev of targeting Russian sites, including the strategic Crimean Bridge.
Earlier this month, Zelensky claimed the electricity blackouts affected more than four million Ukrainians, with residents of the capital and its suburbs bearing the brunt. According to Ukrainian authorities, the recurring Russian attacks have destroyed or damaged up to 40% of the country’s energy infrastructure.
https://ift.tt/c64q3Tr 16, 2022 at 02:14PM
from RT – Daily news