Hundreds of Ukrainian towns spread over at least seven regions were left without electricity, after Russian attacks on critical facilities, while in Kiev, in addition to power cuts, there are problems in the water supply in 80% of the capital, Ukrainian authorities said.
The new wave of Russian attacks damaged a total of 18 facilities, mainly energy, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said, according to the Ukrinform portal.
Journalists from the French news agency AFP heard at least five explosions between 08H00 (06H00 GMT) and 08H20 in the morning of this Monday (31.10.2022), in Kiev, the capital of Ukraine.
Several neighborhoods reported damage “as a result of Russian attacks,” said local mayor Vitali Klitschko.
Kiev neighborhoods, without electricity and without water
“A part of Kiev is without electricity and some areas without water,” Klitschko said on the Telegram messaging service.
Kiev and other Ukrainian cities were already attacked on October 10 and 17 by Iranian-made Russian drones, which hit their energy infrastructure and caused blackouts of several days.
Attack on Zaporizhia, near nuclear power plant
Russian forces also carried out a missile attack on the Zaporizhia region, home to Ukraine’s largest nuclear power plant and Europe, which has damaged several critical infrastructure facilities.
“Around 08:00 (local time), the enemy carried out missile attacks in Zaporizhia. Early reports indicate that the missiles were launched from the air. Critical infrastructure facilities have been damaged. Power outages could occur,” Oleksandr Starukh, head of the military administration of that southern region, said on his Telegram account.
According to Starukh, there is no confirmation of the existence of casualties at the moment, although emergency services have been sent to the attacked areas.
The facilities of the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant (now controlled by the Russians, although Ukrainian workers work there) have suffered some attacks, which have forced it to be disconnected from the local energy system, while Russia and Ukraine accuse each other of them.
After attack on Russian Black Sea fleet
Ukrainian officials also reported power outages in the city of Kharkiv as a result of the attacks.
“The Russian Armed Forces continued to attack Ukraine’s military and energy command systems with high-precision aerial and naval missiles,” Russian command spokesman Igor Konashenkov confirmed. According to this Russian general, “all the targets of the attacks were hit.”
The new flurry of drone strikes comes two days after Russia accused Ukraine of a massive drone strike on military and civilian vessels in its Black Sea fleet in Sevastopol Bay on the coast of the annexed Crimean peninsula.
Agreement on the export of Ukrainian cereals suspended
Ukraine has denied the attack, saying Russia mishandled its own weapons. But Moscow suspended the agreement for the export of grain from Ukrainian ports, negotiated by the UN and considered vital for the world’s food supply.
In recent weeks, Russian troops have again intensified attacks on Kiev, especially with kamikaze drones and directed against energy infrastructure and other civilian targets.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly denounced the use of these Iranian-made devices and has called for a strong international reaction. Moscow has argued that these attacks are the response to the explosion of a tanker truck in mid-October in the annexed Crimean peninsula, whose responsibility Russia also attributes to Ukraine.
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