More than half of Kyiv remains in darkness a day after Russian strikes targeted the city's critical energy infrastructure, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Wednesday, as residents endure freezing winter temperatures.
"As of this morning, about 4,000 buildings in Kyiv are still without heat, and nearly 60 percent of the capital is without electricity," Zelensky wrote on X, highlighting the severity of the blackout. Temperatures dipped to minus 12 degrees Celsius (10.4 Fahrenheit) Wednesday morning, leaving many Ukrainians struggling to keep warm.
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The attacks come amid a recent surge in Russian missile and drone strikes aimed at Ukraine's already fragile energy system, battered by nearly four years of repeated assaults. Even when electricity is restored, many households face rolling blackouts for much of the day. Ukraine's largest mobile provider, Kyivstar, reported that outages have disrupted nearly 10% of its network, further affecting communication.
The energy crisis extends beyond the capital. In the eastern region of Kharkiv, Governor Oleh Syniehubov said 520,000 consumers were without power Wednesday, down from more than a million the previous day. In southern Odesa, energy company DTEK reported severe damage to one of its facilities, leaving thousands of households in the dark.
Officials warn the outages could continue as Moscow's campaign targets Ukraine's power generation capacity. Residents are relying on limited heating, generators, and public shelters, while authorities scramble to repair infrastructure under ongoing threats...