war against Ukraine
Kyiv 70 percent without electricity
A vehicle drives during a power outage following a Russian missile attack. photo
© Andrew Kravchenko/AP/dpa
The heavy Russian rocket attacks on the Ukrainian capital have left significant damage to the infrastructure. But people are without electricity elsewhere too.
On the morning after the heavy Russian rocket attacks, electricity and water supplies in Kyiv could only be partially restored. “70 percent of the capital has so far been without electricity,” said Mayor Vitali Klitschko on his Telegram channel on Thursday. At least it was possible to supply the districts on the left bank of the Dnipro with water again. Municipal services are working flat out to repair the damage, but Kiev’s electricity supply also depends on the stability of the entire energy system in Ukraine.
According to Kiev, the Russian military shot down around 70 rockets and drones on Ukraine on Wednesday. As in the previous attacks, the targets were primarily objects in the energy sector. After the Ukrainian nuclear power plants were shut down as a result of the attack, there were power outages across the country.
By Thursday noon, the power supply had only been restored in some regions. The mayor of Lviv, Andriy Sadoviy, reported that electricity was restored. In other regions, such as Odessa or Chernihiv, the situation remained complicated. The neighboring former Soviet Republic of Moldova was also partially without electricity. The energy grid of the two countries is closely linked.
The commander of the Russian troops in Ukraine, General Sergey Surovikin, had already gained notoriety during his deployment in Syria a few years earlier for attacking civilian targets in order to weaken his opponents. Following his appointment in Ukraine, attacks on the country’s critical infrastructure have become a key part of Russian warfare.