More than 1.5 million people were without electricity in the southern Ukrainian city of Odessa.
Kyiv:
More than 1.5 million people were without power in the southern Ukrainian city of Odessa on Saturday after a nighttime attack by Russian “kamikaze drones”, President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
The region’s energy authority has warned that repairs after Friday’s strike will take weeks, perhaps up to three months.
“After the night attack by Iranian drones, there is darkness in Odessa and other towns and villages in the region,” said President Zelensky.
“As of now, more than one and a half million people are without electricity in the Odessa region.”
Kirillo Tymoshenko, deputy head of the presidential administration, said only critical infrastructure, including hospitals and maternity wards, had access to electricity.
“The situation remains difficult, but under control,” Mr Tymoshenko said.
The Black Sea port was a favorite holiday destination for many Ukrainians and Russians before President Vladimir Putin sent troops into pro-Western Ukraine on February 24.
The region’s governor, Maxim Marchenko, said Russia had attacked the city with “kamikaze drones” overnight.
“As a result of the strike, almost all districts and communities in our region are without electricity,” he said.
Marchenko said that two drones were shot down by Ukrainian air defense units.
Kiev said on Friday that the war-torn country’s southern regions, including Odessa, were experiencing their worst power outages in days in the latest bout of systematic Russian attacks on the Ukrainian energy grid.
Russia fired dozens of cruise missiles at key infrastructure in Ukraine on Monday, increasing pressure on the country’s already ailing grid after repeated attacks.
After the humiliating military defeat, Russia began targeting Ukraine’s infrastructure.
On Thursday, President Putin vowed to shore up Ukraine’s battered energy grid despite an outcry against attacks that have pushed millions of people into the cold and darkness.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
featured video of the day
NDTV Ground Report From Tamil Nadu Town Hit By Cyclone Mandus
