Power Outage in Kyiv After Russian Bombing, Moscow Considers It a Response to Ukrainian Attacks

SadaNews - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Tuesday evening that the recent Russian airstrike on energy facilities in Kyiv caused a widespread power outage in parts of the capital amid severe frost, while the Russian Defense Ministry stated that the strikes were a response to what it describes as "Ukrainian terrorist attacks" on civilian facilities within Russian territory.

In his nightly address, Zelensky revealed the extent of the damage, stating: "In Kyiv alone, as of this evening, over a million households are still without electricity. Additionally, a large number of buildings are without heating; more than 4,000 residential buildings."

Ukrainian authorities had clarified earlier that the attack deprived about 5,600 residential buildings and the parliament of heating, as temperatures dropped to 14 degrees Celsius below zero. Deputy Foreign Minister Mariana Betsa confirmed that "about half of Kyiv is currently without electricity," pointing out that Russia has not changed its behavior of destroying Ukraine.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko explained that neighborhoods on the eastern bank of the Dnipro River are also suffering from a water outage.

For its part, the Russian Defense Ministry announced that its forces delivered a "wide-scale" strike using precision long-range weapons from land and air platforms.

In a statement on Tuesday on its Telegram page, it stated that it targeted "Ukrainian defense industries, energy facilities, and transport infrastructure used in the interests of the Ukrainian armed forces, as well as ammunition depots and long-range drones," in response to what it described as "Ukrainian terrorist attacks" on civilian facilities within Russian territory.

Combat Drones

The nighttime attack began with the use of long-range combat drones, followed by the launch of ballistic missiles toward Kyiv and its surroundings, with alarm sirens sounding for more than six hours.

The bombardment resulted in the death of at least one person in the suburbs of the capital, disrupted subway traffic, and caused a brief power outage at the "Chernobyl" nuclear power station before it was reconnected to the grid.

The International Atomic Energy Agency reported that a number of Ukrainian electrical substations necessary for nuclear safety were damaged by military activity.

Klitschko stated that 600,000 people have left the capital out of a population of 3.6 million since the start of the energy facility targeting at the beginning of this month, explaining that 80% of the buildings damaged today had faced the same issue during the previous attack.

The shelling extended to energy facilities in the regions of Odessa, Rivne, and Vinnytsia, where the public energy company announced the implementation of an "emergency power cut" in several areas in order to stabilize the system and prevent its collapse under the pressure of repeated strikes.

"Wake-Up Call"

These attacks coincide with pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump on Kyiv and Moscow to halt military operations, while Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sibiga considered this strike a "wake-up call for world leaders gathered in Davos."

Sibiga emphasized that there will be no peace in Europe without Ukraine enjoying lasting peace.

Kyiv claims that Moscow aims to weaken the resistance of Ukrainians and affect their morale through the bombing of the energy network, as local official Mykola Kalashnyk confirmed that Russia "targets civilians and civilian facilities, and the enemy intentionally terrorizes Ukrainian cities and towns."

Since February 24, 2022, Russia has launched a military attack on its neighbor Ukraine, demanding Kyiv abandon its ambitions to join Western military entities, which Kyiv considers an interference in its affairs.