Satellite images of Ukraine plunge into darkness after power cuts
NASA this week unveiled satellite images of Ukraine plunged into darkness due to massive power cutsafter being targeted on Wednesday by Russian strikes. These images have been shared widely on social media by pro-Russian accounts to tout Moscow’s successes.
More than 6 million Ukrainian homes were still affected by power cuts on Fridaycompared to 12 million on Wednesday, according to President Volodymyr Zelensky.
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“They took the people who were dearest to me”: sadness in Kherson after the Russian bombardment
The bombing conducted Friday by the Russians on the city of Kherson was particularly deadly: 15 dead and 35 injured according to local authorities. This is the first time that the Russians have deliberately struck the residential areas of this city in southern Ukraine, liberated just two weeks ago by national troops. Withdrawn, the invader now pounded the agglomeration from the other bank of the Dnieper.
Among the relatives of the victims of the Russian shootings dominate anger and sadness.
“I hate them. These people took the most precious people in my life, my parents. But I have a son and I have to live for him”, for example released Lilia Kristenko in front of the cameras and the building where lived his father and mother, now ravaged.
At the center of the drama, a tool from the Russian arsenal: multiple rocket launchers. Our consultant for international matters, Patrick Sauce, explained:
“Russian multiple rocket launchers are devastating against civilians. Their accuracy is not measured over a meter or two but sometimes sixty to a hundred meters. So you can aim for a power station and eventually it hits a school. The goal is really to terrorize the city.”
Fearing this type of assault, Ukrainian leaders had encouraged civilians to evacuate the city in recent days. We are also trying to empty hospitals of their patients.
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6 million Ukrainian homes without power
At the same time, more than six million Ukrainian homes were affected by power cuts on Friday, two days after massive Russian strikes against the country, according to Volodymyr Zelensky. “Tonight, cuts continue in most regions and in kyiv,” added the head of state in his daily address.
On Friday evening, the electricity network had lost “30%” of its capacity, the operator Ukrenergo said on Telegram, while this lack was “15-20%” on Wednesday morning. “We expect to go through the weekend with a deficit of around 25%. This figure is already close to that before the last attack, but still a little too large. Therefore, the timetables for the restrictions will be maintained”, specified the operator.
Death toll from Russian bombing of Kherson rises to 15
The deadliest shelling in recent days hit Kherson on Friday: “15 residents of the city were killed and 35 injured, including a child,” said Galyna Lugova, an official with the city’s military administration, on the social networks. She said several “private homes and high-rise buildings” were damaged.
“The Russian invaders opened fire on a residential area using multiple rocket launchers. A large building caught fire,” Yaroslav Yanushevich, governor of the Kherson region, said earlier. “Due to constant Russian bombardment, we are evacuating patients from hospitals in Kherson.”