The Russian army attacks targets in large parts of Ukraine overnight. There are reports of air raids, rocket fire and violent explosions from several regions.
Heavy rocket fire was reported from numerous cities across Ukraine during the night, including Kiev. Residents of the capital reported a violent explosion noise on social networks. Mayor Vitali Klitschko confirmed strikes in the southern district of Holosiiv on Telegram.
He also announced that around 15 percent of citizens were temporarily cut off from the power supply. Authorities also reported Russian attacks on power plants and power outages in the southern Odessa region and in Kharkiv in the east of the country.
“As a result of massive rocket attacks, an object of regional energy infrastructure was hit and a residential building was damaged,” wrote Odessa military governor Maxym Marchenko. In Kharkiv, Governor Oleh Synyehubov spoke of a total of around 15 attacks on his area. Air alert has been declared across the country.
Ukrainian Zaporizhia nuclear power plant disconnected from power grid after attacks
According to the operator, the Ukrainian nuclear power plant Zaporizhia was also cut off from the power grid after the attack. “The last connection between the occupied Zaporizhia nuclear power plant and the Ukrainian power grid was interrupted as a result of rocket attacks,” Energoatom said in the morning. Currently, the Akw runs with the help of diesel generators.
Russia occupied the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine shortly after the war began in February. For months Moscow and Kiev have accused each other of being responsible for attacks around and on the nuclear power plant. The largest nuclear power plant in Europe is not far from the front in the Zaporizhia region, which Russia has declared annexed.
The aim of the rockets: to supply electricity and heat to Ukraine
Since last October, Russia has repeatedly fired rockets in order to destroy Ukraine’s electricity and heat supply. In all parts of the country, this led to hourly and daily outages of electricity, district heating and water. However, the Ukrainians always managed to mend the broken network.
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Prior to the recent attacks, Ukraine had said it had overcome its electricity supply problems. In the past 25 days there has been no power shortage and no deficit is in sight. So said the head of the Ukrenerho utility, Volodymyr Kudrytskyi. “The hardest winter in our history is over,” he said in Kiev.
Source: Stern
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