New attack wave
Ukraine reports widespread rocket fire and power outages
Missiles are launched into Ukraine from Russia’s Belgorod region. photo
© Vadim Belikov/AP
The Russian army attacks targets in large parts of Ukraine overnight. There are reports of air raids, rocket fire and violent explosions from a number of regions.
Heavy rocket fire was reported from numerous cities across Ukraine during the night, including Kiev. Residents of the capital reported a violent explosion noise on social networks. Mayor Vitali Klitschko confirmed strikes in the southern district of Holosiiv on Telegram.
He also announced that around 15 percent of citizens were temporarily cut off from the power supply. Authorities also reported Russian attacks on power plants and power outages in the southern Odessa region and in Kharkiv in the east of the country.
“As a result of massive rocket attacks, an object of regional energy infrastructure was hit and a residential building was damaged,” wrote Odessa military governor Maxym Marchenko. In Kharkiv, Governor Oleh Synyehubov spoke of a total of around 15 attacks on his area. Air alert has been declared across the country.
The aim of the rockets: to supply electricity and heat to Ukraine
Since last October, Russia has repeatedly fired missiles aimed at destroying Ukraine’s electricity and heat supplies. In all parts of the country, this led to hourly and daily outages of electricity, district heating and water. However, the Ukrainians always managed to mend the broken network.
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Prior to the recent attacks, Ukraine had said it had overcome its electricity supply problems. In the past 25 days there has been no power shortage and no deficit is in sight. So said the head of the Ukrenerho utility, Volodymyr Kudrytskyi. “The hardest winter in our history is over,” he said in Kiev.