KYIVRussia shelled the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson, killing 15 civilians on Friday, officials said, as engineers around the country sought to restore heating, water and electricity to cities. great.
Across the country, Russian air strikes in recent weeks have brought UkraineAmerica’s energy infrastructure weakens as winter approaches and temperatures near freezing, raising fears of a health crisis and another exodus.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said more than 6 million households in the country were still affected by the power cuts, two days after targeted Russian attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
The country’s national energy company, Ukrenergo, said late on Friday that the grid was still facing a 30% shortfall, with its technicians working “round the clock” to restore electrical restoration. But it said it expected increased coverage over the weekend, boosted by additional nuclear power.
The attack on Kherson, a key city in the southeast that has just been recaptured by Ukrainian forces, marks Russia’s bloodiest bombardment in recent days.
City official Galyna Lugova said a total of “15 residents were killed and 35 injured, including a child, due to enemy shelling”. Some “private houses and high-rise buildings” were damaged, she added.
“The Russian invaders opened fire on a residential area with multiple rocket launchers. A large building caught fire,” said Yarovslav Yanushovich, head of the Kherson military administration.
Early Friday, the regional governor said patients in the city hospital and others from a psychiatric unit had been evacuated because of “continuous Russian shelling”.
Kherson City Council said it was recommending the evacuation of civilians to other areas.
Attacks on power plants and other infrastructure across Ukraine are RussiaIt is the latest attempt to force Ukraine to surrender after Moscow’s forces failed to topple the government and capture Kyiv in the early stages of the war.
– Critical infrastructure – In the capital, where about half the residents remain without power two days after Russian strikes affected the country’s energy grid, engineers have been working to restore services.
“We must endure this winter, a winter that everyone will remember,” Zelensky wrote on social media when British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly visited to announce the new aid package.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmygal told a government meeting, “Almost all of Ukraine’s vital infrastructure has been reconnected.”
Critical infrastructure includes water utilities, heat generation plants, hospitals, and emergency services.
But Shmygal said ordinary consumers continue to face scheduled power cuts across every region of the country.
Ukraine’s Western allies have denounced Russia’s attacks on energy infrastructure as “war crimes”. The attacks followed a series of military defeats against Russia on the front lines.
Moscow insists it is targeting only military-linked infrastructure and blames Kiev for the power outages, saying Ukraine can end suffering by agreeing to Russia’s demands.
– Putin meeting mothers – Meanwhile, for the first time since the start of the war in February, Russian President Vladimir Putin met the mothers of soldiers fighting in Ukraine, assuring those who whose children died that he and Russia’s elite “share this pain”.
“I want you to know that I personally and the entire leadership of the country share this pain,” he told them.
He said many of the reports on the conflict could not be trusted, describing them as “fake news, deceit and lies”.
Russia has introduced legislation effectively banning public criticism of the war.
Kremlin Critics accuse the government of hiding the true number of Russian troops killed and wounded.
Anger and concern have built up across Russia since the Kremlin announced in September that hundreds of thousands of well-trained and well-equipped conscripts would be sent to the battlefield to support the war. Moscow’s struggling campaign.
But chaos ensued, with numerous reports of exempt men – including the elderly and the infirm – being sent to the front and conscription soldiers dying after barely being discharged. training, forcing the Kremlin to admit “mistakes”.
Putin’s meeting with the soldiers’ mother is a sign that the Kremlin takes the growing unrest seriously.
Visiting Kyiv on Friday, the British foreign secretary announced new aid to Ukraine, including ambulances and support for victims of sexual abuse by Russian soldiers.
“Russia is continuing to try to break Ukraine’s resolve through brutal attacks on civilians, hospitals and energy infrastructure,” Cleverly said.
“Russia will fail,” he said, vowing that UK support “will continue for as long as necessary”.
Meanwhile, the head of Russia’s Wagner mercenary force, Yevgeny Prigozhin, said on Friday that a former US Marine general and a number of British and Finnish fighters were operating together. group in Ukraine.
“(The Finns) are fighting in a British battalion (which is part of the Wagner PMC), commanded by a US citizen, a former Marine general”, Prigozhin press service said he told Finnish newspaper Helsingin Sanomat.
Across the country, Russian air strikes in recent weeks have brought UkraineAmerica’s energy infrastructure weakens as winter approaches and temperatures near freezing, raising fears of a health crisis and another exodus.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said more than 6 million households in the country were still affected by the power cuts, two days after targeted Russian attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
The country’s national energy company, Ukrenergo, said late on Friday that the grid was still facing a 30% shortfall, with its technicians working “round the clock” to restore electrical restoration. But it said it expected increased coverage over the weekend, boosted by additional nuclear power.
The attack on Kherson, a key city in the southeast that has just been recaptured by Ukrainian forces, marks Russia’s bloodiest bombardment in recent days.
City official Galyna Lugova said a total of “15 residents were killed and 35 injured, including a child, due to enemy shelling”. Some “private houses and high-rise buildings” were damaged, she added.
“The Russian invaders opened fire on a residential area with multiple rocket launchers. A large building caught fire,” said Yarovslav Yanushovich, head of the Kherson military administration.
Early Friday, the regional governor said patients in the city hospital and others from a psychiatric unit had been evacuated because of “continuous Russian shelling”.
Kherson City Council said it was recommending the evacuation of civilians to other areas.
Attacks on power plants and other infrastructure across Ukraine are RussiaIt is the latest attempt to force Ukraine to surrender after Moscow’s forces failed to topple the government and capture Kyiv in the early stages of the war.
– Critical infrastructure – In the capital, where about half the residents remain without power two days after Russian strikes affected the country’s energy grid, engineers have been working to restore services.
“We must endure this winter, a winter that everyone will remember,” Zelensky wrote on social media when British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly visited to announce the new aid package.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmygal told a government meeting, “Almost all of Ukraine’s vital infrastructure has been reconnected.”
Critical infrastructure includes water utilities, heat generation plants, hospitals, and emergency services.
But Shmygal said ordinary consumers continue to face scheduled power cuts across every region of the country.
Ukraine’s Western allies have denounced Russia’s attacks on energy infrastructure as “war crimes”. The attacks followed a series of military defeats against Russia on the front lines.
Moscow insists it is targeting only military-linked infrastructure and blames Kiev for the power outages, saying Ukraine can end suffering by agreeing to Russia’s demands.
– Putin meeting mothers – Meanwhile, for the first time since the start of the war in February, Russian President Vladimir Putin met the mothers of soldiers fighting in Ukraine, assuring those who whose children died that he and Russia’s elite “share this pain”.
“I want you to know that I personally and the entire leadership of the country share this pain,” he told them.
He said many of the reports on the conflict could not be trusted, describing them as “fake news, deceit and lies”.
Russia has introduced legislation effectively banning public criticism of the war.
Kremlin Critics accuse the government of hiding the true number of Russian troops killed and wounded.
Anger and concern have built up across Russia since the Kremlin announced in September that hundreds of thousands of well-trained and well-equipped conscripts would be sent to the battlefield to support the war. Moscow’s struggling campaign.
But chaos ensued, with numerous reports of exempt men – including the elderly and the infirm – being sent to the front and conscription soldiers dying after barely being discharged. training, forcing the Kremlin to admit “mistakes”.
Putin’s meeting with the soldiers’ mother is a sign that the Kremlin takes the growing unrest seriously.
Visiting Kyiv on Friday, the British foreign secretary announced new aid to Ukraine, including ambulances and support for victims of sexual abuse by Russian soldiers.
“Russia is continuing to try to break Ukraine’s resolve through brutal attacks on civilians, hospitals and energy infrastructure,” Cleverly said.
“Russia will fail,” he said, vowing that UK support “will continue for as long as necessary”.
Meanwhile, the head of Russia’s Wagner mercenary force, Yevgeny Prigozhin, said on Friday that a former US Marine general and a number of British and Finnish fighters were operating together. group in Ukraine.
“(The Finns) are fighting in a British battalion (which is part of the Wagner PMC), commanded by a US citizen, a former Marine general”, Prigozhin press service said he told Finnish newspaper Helsingin Sanomat.
