Russian strikes cut water, power in Ukraine as war escalates

Russian forces have continued to attack Ukraine, leaving parts of Kyiv in the dark and cutting power to other cities, which has an impact on water facilities as well.

According to the BBC, two people were killed in an attack on Kiev as spirals of smoke billowed from a power station near the Dnipro river.

The reports said power and water were cut in Zhytomyr, west of Kyiv, and two facilities were badly damaged in Dnipro.

“Everyone should be ready, first, to save electricity, and second, rolling power blackouts are also possible if strikes continue. The entire population needs to prepare for a tough winter,” said Kyrylo Tymoshenko, the deputy head of the president’s office.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Twitter on Tuesday that in the past eight days, 30% of Ukraine’s power stations had been destroyed, “causing massive blackouts across the country.”

Ukrainian energy firm DTEK said two of its thermal power plants had been significantly damaged by Russian shelling, leaving one worker dead and six others wounded.

Russia has stepped up attacks in recent weeks on electricity infrastructure in cities away from the front lines. Officials have rushed to repair the damage, but the strikes, ahead of winter, have raised concerns about how the system will respond.

The latest attacks came 24 hours after “kamikaze” drones believed to have been supplied by Iran killed at least nine people in Kyiv and Sumy, with strikes on infrastructure causing power outages in hundreds of towns and villages.

Also, in Kyiv, presidential aide Kyrylo Tymoshenko said the Troyeschyna area on the bank of the Dnipro river and some other residential areas had been left without electricity and water.

In other attacks early on Tuesday, in Zhytomyr, the mayor said there was no power or water in the city and hospitals were working on back-up power

11 villages in the Zhytomyr region were also without electricity, officials said.

Power and water supplies were disrupted in the central city of Dnipro, where a large energy facility was destroyed, and officials said street lighting would be turned off

Shelling was reported in the north-eastern city of Kharkiv

Infrastructure in the southern city of Zaporizhzhia was hit, although local officials said no-one had been hurt