Vitali Klitschko: “The Russians want to bring us into black times”

Clean-up operations in Kyiv on Thursday. After the Russian missile attacks on major cities across the country, the damage in the capital is also great. According to the Ukrainian military, the air and sea-launched cruise missiles were mainly aimed at power supplies and other civilian infrastructure facilities. Private houses in Kyiv were damaged and three people are said to have been injured. A shop and a playground were also damaged. According to Mayor Vitali Klitschko, 16 rockets were launched over the city. “Right now 40 percent of our citizens have no electricity, but our employees will do their best in the next few hours to restore electricity. But we still have a 20 percent electricity deficit because we are connected to the entire grid of Ukraine. ” The air alert in Kiev lasted five hours – one of the longest warning times since the beginning of the war at the end of February. “The Russians want to induce depression, especially now, at Christmas time, at New Year. The Russians want to bring us into black times, without lights, without heating. They want to put everyone in a depressed mood. But people in Ukraine are very angry . And they think going without electricity and heating is better than giving up.” In recent weeks, Russia has intensified its attacks on the energy and water supply in Ukraine, leaving millions of people without electricity and heat in freezing temperatures. The leadership in Moscow has repeatedly denied targeting civilians.