At least three people were killed as Russia again launched scores of missiles at Ukrainian cities and critical infrastructure, triggering blackouts across much of the country despite its military claiming to have shot down most of the rockets
“Today, for the ninth time, Russian terrorists fired at our energy infrastructure sites. We regard this terrorist activity of the Russian leadership as another attempt to commit genocide against the Ukrainian people,” said Ukraine’s prime minister Denys Shmyhal.
“Out of 76 missiles fired, 60 were shot down … But our defenders need more weapons and energy workers need more equipment. After all, there is damage again to energy facilities …there is a serious shortage of power in the energy system. And emergency outages are currently in effect in almost the whole country.”
Two people were killed and 13 hurt when a missile hit a residential building in the eastern city of Kryvyi Rih, and one died when a rocket caused a fire in an apartment block in Kherson, a southeastern city that Russia has shelled heavily since it was liberated last month.
“Today our enemy shelled the city of Kharkiv again. There is colossal damage to infrastructure, above all to the energy system,” said Ihor Terekhov, mayor of Ukraine’s second city, which is only about 35km from the Russian border.
“I ask you to be patient about what is happening now. I know there is no light in your houses, no heating, no water supply ... We will do our best to quickly repair what the Russian aggressor has done,” he told residents on social media.
Kyiv officials said 37 of 40 missiles fired at the city were destroyed by air defence systems, but those that evaded got through hit power infrastructure, prompting more blackouts and the metro system to stop working as stations became air raid shelters.
“Because of damage to energy infrastructure, there are interruptions to water supply in all parts of the capital,” said Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko.
State energy firm Ukrenergo said that “considering this is already the ninth wave of missile strikes on energy facilities, the restoration of power supply may take longer than before”, adding that priority for electricity would go to hospitals, heating plants, water supply facilities and other elements of critical infrastructure.
“What we already see is damage to about nine [power] generating facilities. Now we are still verifying the damage,” said energy minister Herman Halushchenko.
White House national security spokesman John Kirby said Russia was “again trying to put fear into the hearts of the Ukrainian people and to make it that much harder on them as winter is now upon them.”
Russia claims its attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure are not war crimes but legitimate strikes on sites that assist the country’s military.
Moscow-installed officials in eastern Ukraine accused Kyiv’s forces of shelling the occupied village of Lantrativka on Friday, killing at least 11 people and injuring 20 others.
The European Union said its ninth package of sanctions on Russia would target the defence industry, banks, mining firms and scores of businessmen and politicians who support Russian president Vladimir Putin.
“After food and hunger, Putin is now weaponising the winter, by deliberately depriving millions of Ukrainians of water, electricity and heating … We will continue targeting the economy and against those who are instrumental in this brutal war,” said EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell.
(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2022
