Russian strikes cut power to hundreds of thousands in Ukraine ahead of talks
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Russian missile and drone attacks on Ukraine’s energy network on Sunday left hundreds of thousands of people without power, including 600,000 in Dnipropetrovsk region, officials said.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said 12 regions came under attack and that Kyiv was hit hardest. The wave included more than 30 ballistic missiles and over 170 drones, and nine people were hurt across the country, including one child. Damage in the capital included residential buildings, the North Bridge and a kindergarten.
In the Kyiv region, strikes hit substations connecting the Rivne and Khmelnytskyi nuclear power plants to the capital and central Ukraine, Mr. Zelensky said. Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal reported power cuts in five regions. Kyiv’s mayor, Vitali Klitschko, said the water supply had returned to normal and about 60 percent of apartment buildings were reconnected to heating.
In Dnipro, hospitals switched to diesel generators and electric public transport stopped, said Oleksandr Hanzha, the military administrator of Dnipropetrovsk region. Repair crews were at work, he said, but “their efforts are being hampered by constant Russian shelling.” Mr. Zelensky reported “widespread power outages across the country” and said 140 apartment buildings in Zhytomyr region were left without heating after a strike. Euronews reported 850,000 people without power nationwide.
Russia began stepping up attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure in late September and has targeted the sector every winter since its 2022 invasion. Parts of the country have seen their first snow, and temperatures are falling.
The strikes preceded trilateral talks between Ukrainian and Russian delegations, brokered by the United States, in Abu Dhabi on November 10 and 11. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said France would take part. The meeting is the first major diplomatic session since February, and European participation had not previously been expected.
Mr. Zelensky said Moscow was attacking Ukraine’s “critical infrastructure” to prepare for the talks. Repair work in Dnipropetrovsk continued under fire.