Ukraine suffers massive blackouts as Russia destroyed 30% power stations, says Zelenskyy

Ukraine is suffering from massive blackouts as power stations of the war-torn nation have been damaged. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy admitted that Russia, whose goal has been to target Ukraine's critical infrastructure, has in the past 8 days successfully destroyed 30 percent of Ukraine's power stations. Russia is using "kamikaze" drones to target Ukraine's critical infrastructure, he said.

"Another kind of Russian "terrorist attacks": targeting Ukrainian energy & critical infrastructure. Since Oct 10, 30% of Ukraine’s power stations have been destroyed, causing massive blackouts across the country. No space left for negotiations with Putin's regime" Zelenskyy said in a tweet.

Russian strikes on critical infrastructure began since attack on Crimea bridge 

On Tuesday, power and water supplies were destroyed in the city of Zhytomyr, which is situated to the west of Kyiv. Since the attack on Crimea bridge, Russia has widened the theatre of war and is targeting crucial infrastructure installments in cities far away from the front line. According to BBC, Ukrainian officials are attempting to repair the damages, however the damages come at a particularly vulnerable time as winter is nearing. 

The mayor of Zhytomyr reportedly said that there is no power and no water in the city, adding that the hospitals have to rely on back-up power to ensure they can continue functioning. Power Plants on Kyiv's Troyeschyna area have also been targeted, leaving the Troyeschyna area near the bank of the Dnipro river without any power and water. Power and water supplies have been disrupted in the central city of Dnipro as well, due to a large energy facility being destroyed. Officials in the central city of Dnipro have said that they will be switching off street lights. 

Ukraine govt urges people to reduce their power consumption

Reports indicate that Ukrainains are buying gas burners and power generators. The Ukrainian government has urged people across the country to reduce their power consumption, especially during the peak hours. As per a report from the Strait Times, energy operators of Kyiv, DTEK said that there are interruptions to the city's water and power supply. “Engineers are investigating and making all the necessary efforts to restore the power to the city’s residents,” reads a statement issued by the company on Facebook. Kyiv's mayor Vitali Klitschko also stated that there was an attack on critical infrastructure in Norther Kyiv, urging residents to save energy.