Russian strikes lead to blackout as Ukraine gains
Written by ABC AUDIO on September 12, 2022
Russian attacks on critical infrastructure crippled electricity in northeastern Ukraine, Ukrainian officials said late on Sunday, condemning the attack as an act of revenge for Kyiv’s rapid gains in the region.
President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine said that the “deliberate and cynical attack” had led to a complete blackout in the Kharkiv region, in the northeast, and Donetsk, in the east, following the Russian offensive. “Even through impenetrable darkness, Ukraine and the civilized world clearly saw this terrorist act,” he said in a speech posted to Telegram.
Water and electricity were mostly restored by Monday morning, Ukrinform news agency reported.
Ukraine’s military has made huge gains in recent days – including in the Kharkiv region – which have weakened Russia’s grip on northeastern Ukraine, which it has used as a stronghold since the war began in February.
On Sunday, Russian troops appeared to retaliate with cruise missiles.
“Do you still think that you can scare us, destroy us, make us make concessions?” Mr Zelensky asked in his speech. “Read our lips: No gas or no you? Without you. Without light or without you? Without you. Without water or without you? Without you.”
An official in Ukraine’s presidential office, Kyrylo Tymoshenko, said that two cruise missiles hit critical infrastructure elements, namely the heat generator and the main power plant, shutting off electricity to Kharkiv and several other regions. “Russia wants to leave us without light, water and heat,” he said in a statement on messaging app Telegram.
The mayor of Kharkiv, Ihor Terekhov, said the attack was clearly an act of retaliation for the successful Ukrainian counterattack. “This is a vile and cynical revenge from the Russian aggressor for the success of our soldiers on the front lines, especially in the Kharkiv region,” he said on Telegram.
The water supply was also affected by the blackout. Dmytro Kuleba, Ukraine’s foreign minister, said “thousands” of Ukrainians lack electricity, water and heating.
The head of Ukraine’s regional administration in Kharkiv, By Synyehubov, said first responders were working to extinguish the fire around the area of the attack. “We ask residents of the Kharkiv region to remain calm,” he said in a post on Telegram.
