Zelensky says over 10 mn Ukrainians without electricity

A barista works by candlelight in a cafe without electricity in western Ukrainian city of Lviv, after three Russian missiles fired targeted energy infrastructure on October 11, 2022. – In Lviv, the largest city in the region of the same name, the mayor said on October 11, 2022 that one-third of homes were without power. (Photo by Yuriy Dyachyshyn / AFP)

Kyiv, Ukraine | AFP |

President Volodymyr Zelensky said Thursday that millions of Ukrainians had no electricity, as fresh Russian strikes hit cities across Ukraine and crippled the country’s energy infrastructure.

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

“We are doing everything to normalise the supply,” Zelensky added.

Ukraine has faced strikes against its power grid following battlefield victories against Russia, the latest being Moscow’s retreat from the southern city of Kherson.

AFP journalists in several Ukraine cities said the latest strikes coincided with the first snow this season, after officials in Kyiv warned of “difficult” days ahead.

Damage to Ukraine’s electricity infrastructure has been so extensive that authorities have been imposing power cuts to relieve the grid.