10 Million In Ukraine Without Electricity After Russian Strikes, Says President Volodymyr Zelenskyy

President Volodymyr Zelensky said that 10 million Ukrainians do not have electricity.

New Delhi: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday said that millions of people in the war-torn country did not have electricity. This comes after fresh Russian strikes crippled the country’s energy infrastructure. 

"Currently, more than 10 million Ukrainians are without electricity," he said, according to AFP, adding that the regions of Odessa, Vinnytsia, Sumy and Kyiv were most affected.

"We are doing everything to normalise the supply," Zelenskyy added.

As per AFP, several strikes to Ukraine’s power grid came after the battlefield victories against Russia – the latest being Moscow's retreat from the southern city of Kherson.

According to the agency, the latest strikes coincided with the first snow this season, after officials in Kyiv warned of "difficult" days ahead. The damage to the country’s energy infrastructure has been so extensive that to relieve the grid the authorities have been imposing power cuts. 

As per an IANS report, state-owned energy firm Naftogaz said its gas-producing facilities in the east of Ukraine had been subjected to a “massive attack”, without giving additional details.

In the video message, Zelenskyy went on to say that dozens of people were injured as a result of a missile attack on Thursday in Dnipro, adding that “everyone is being provided with aid”, IANS reported.

“In Zaporizhzhia, the clearance of the rubble of a residential building, which was destroyed by Russian shelling at night, continues… The list of the dead includes seven people. Unfortunately, this number may increase,” IANS quoted Zelenskyy.

The President also said that earlier in the day, Ukrainian forces managed to shoot down six Russian cruise missiles and five drones, IANS added.

In yet another appeal to allies and partners, Zelensky said that “only full protection of the Ukrainian sky will protect both Ukraine and Europe from many possible escalations of Russian aggression and will definitely encourage Russia to truly end the war”.

On Tuesday, Ukraine was subjected to another wide-range assault as dozens of long-range missiles pounded the country. According to IANS, it is believed to be the most intense barrage since the start of the war on February 24. 

While many were intercepted, however, those that struck infrastructure targets managed to further deplete Ukraine’s power reserves.

(With agency inputs)