Ukraine says Russian attack caused widespread power outages in two regions

Ukraine’s energy ministry said late Wednesday that the Russian attack caused an almost complete power outage in the Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporozhye regions of southeastern Ukraine.

It said in a statement on Telegram that critical infrastructure “runs on backup power,” while officials said water supplies and the internet were also disrupted.

Russia has recently stepped up attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, aiming to paralyze power supplies during the harsh winter.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Sviridenko wrote on Telegram: “Ukraine’s energy system is under attack by the enemy every day, and energy workers work in extremely difficult conditions to provide people with light and heat.”

“Deteriorating weather conditions are placing additional pressure on critical infrastructure,” she said.

As temperatures plummeted, there were power and heating outages.

“Emergency recovery work in the areas affected by the attack will begin as soon as the security situation allows,” state energy company Ukrenergo said on Telegram.

“Energy workers’ first priority is restoring critical infrastructure,” it added.

Dnipro Mayor Borys Filatov said on Telegram that all hospitals in the city have completely switched to generators.

“There is a necessary water supply, and the treatment process does not stop. The drainage of the houses is also supported by alternative energy sources,” Filatov said.

He added that the school holidays have been extended to January 9 due to the power outage.

Ivan Fedorov, head of the Zaporozhye region government, said every effort was being made to restore power.

“Currently, despite the complete blackout in the area, water company workers have almost restored the water supply to our homes,” Fedorov said in a video message posted on Telegram.

Ukraine’s largest private energy supplier DTEK is in permanent crisis mode due to Russia’s attack on the power grid, The company’s chief executive told the BBC last monthmuch of Ukraine suffers from prolonged power outages during the winter.

Maxim Timchenko, chief executive of DTEK, which provides electricity to 5.6 million Ukrainians, said strikes were so frequent “we just don’t have time to recover”.

As the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion approaches, Timchenko said his company has found it difficult to respond to repeated Russian attacks on DTEK’s energy grid with “drones, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles.”

The attack came as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said European allies had No reasonable assurance was given to him They will protect his country in case of new Russian aggression.

Following talks in Paris on Tuesday, UK and France Signed a statement of intent to deploy troops to Ukraine if a peace deal with Russia is reached.

Moscow has repeatedly warned that any foreign troops stationed in Ukraine would become “legitimate targets.”