Russia unleashed a barrage of missiles overnight — “A Massive missile attack“It targeted “critical infrastructure,” Ukraine’s air force said in a statement on Saturday. Ukrainian officials confirmed that at least half a dozen regions were targeted, including the capital, Kiev.
The Air Force said it shot down 18 of the 33 cruise missiles launched from the air and sea.
Kyiv Mayor Vitaly Klitschko told the Telegram news service that “several rockets” aimed at the capital were shot down on Saturday morning. Similar statements were made by the governors of six western and central provinces and the southern Odesa region on the Black Sea.
The attack is part of Russia’s latest strategy. Over the past two weeks, Moscow has stepped up attacks on key civilian infrastructure across Ukraine as the country braces for a cold winter. Officials said 40% of the country’s power supply has been severely damaged. President Volodymyr Zelensky said earlier in the week that 30% of Ukraine’s power stations had been destroyed since October 10.
Manual via Ukrainian Presidential News Service/Reuters
On Saturday, hundreds of thousands of people in central and western Ukraine woke up to power cuts. The western city of Khmelnytskyi, across the Bug River, home to about 275,000 people before the war, was without power on Saturday, shortly after local media reported several loud explosions.
In a social media post on Saturday, the city council urged local residents to conserve water “in case it’s gone in less than an hour.”
The mayor of Lutsk, a city of 215,000 people in western Ukraine, made a similar plea on Telegram on Saturday. Power was partially cut in Lutsk after Russian missiles hit local energy facilities, he said.
The central city of Uman, a major pilgrimage center for Hasidic Jews that had about 100,000 residents before the war, was also plunged into darkness after a rocket hit a nearby power station, regional officials said in a telegram.
In the capital and four surrounding areas, including Cherkasy, the blackout came into effect on Saturday morning, echoing the reduced power supply. State energy company Ukrenergo continued to urge all Ukrainians to conserve energy.
Earlier this week, Zelenskyy called on consumers to limit electricity use between 7 a.m. and 11 a.m. daily and avoid using energy-guzzling appliances such as electric heaters.
Emilio Morenati / AB
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