Russian forces have once again struck Ukraine’s energy facilities, knocking out electricity and water in parts of Kyiv and other cities.
According to a presidential aide, the situation in Ukraine is now severe.
According to prosecutors, two persons were slain in an attack on the capital. Smoke plumes were seen pouring from a power facility near the Dnipro river.
Power and water were cut off in Zhytomyr, west of Kyiv, while two facilities in Dnipro were severely damaged.
“Everyone should be prepared, one, to save electricity, and second, rolling power blackouts are also likely if strikes persist,” said Kyrylo Tymoshenko, the president’s deputy.
DTEK, a Ukrainian energy corporation, said Russian shelling severely damaged two of its thermal power plants, killing one worker and injuring six others.
In recent weeks, Russia has increased its strikes on energy infrastructure in areas far from the front lines. Officials have scrambled to fix the damage, but the hits have sparked questions about how the system would cope as winter approaches.
The new assaults came only 24 hours after “kamikaze” drones allegedly supplied by Iran killed at least nine people in Kyiv and Sumy, and infrastructure strikes knocked off electricity in hundreds Ukrainian towns and villages.
On Tuesday, it remained unclear to what degree drones were engaged. According to Ukraine, Russian bombers launched missiles, and one S-300 anti-aircraft missile struck a residential structure in the southern city of Mykolaiv overnight, killing one person. The flower market in the city was also damaged.
Ukrainians are purchasing power generators and gas burners in certain cities, while citizens across the nation have been asked to minimize their energy use during peak hours. Some communities are already experiencing rolling outages.
Separately, Ukraine’s state nuclear energy firm accused Moscow of kidnapping two senior personnel from its Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant.
The facility is under Russian occupation, but its Ukrainian employees continue to operate there under harsh conditions.
