Millions of Ukrainians in the dark

Ukraine was today trying to restore the damage to its energy infrastructure due to massive Russian bombing and to restore electricity to millions of Ukrainians who remain without light and heat as winter sets in.

The energy system of Ukraine is located on the verge of collapse and millions of people have experienced emergency power outages in recent weeks.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stressed that Moscow’s new strategy of plunging his country into darkness will not diminish its resolve.

“It’s a war of strength, endurance, the goal is to see who is stronger,” Zelensky said in an interview with the Financial Times published today.

According to him, this week’s raids created a situation in Ukraine that has not been seen in the last 80 or 90 years: “a country on the European continent where there was no light at all.”

In his sermon last night Zelensky pointed out to his fellow citizens: “together we endured nine months of war, and Russia has not found a way to bend us and will not.”

About 15 provinces are experiencing problems with electricity and water supply.

“The situation with electricity remains difficult in almost all provinces,” the Ukrainian president admitted, but added: “however, we are gradually moving away from the outages and every hour we are restoring electricity to new consumers.”

As NASA satellite images showed, at night from space Ukraine appears as a black patch on Earth.

In the capital Kyiv, home to three million people, 60% of residents are without power as temperatures have dropped well below freezing, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said.

“We know that such missile attacks may occur again. We must be ready for any development,” he added.

Kyiv authorities have created “unbeaten centers”where residents can charge their mobiles, warm up and have a hot drink.

“It is the second day that we are without electricity and food. More than 60 children are waiting for food and we cannot prepare anything for them if the electricity is not restored,” said a woman who has been to one of these centers.

Three nuclear plants, controlled by Ukraine, were reconnected to the electricity grid yesterday, Thursday.

“We will gradually provide power for 2 to 3 hours until the amount of electricity going to Kyiv increases” and the electricity supply stabilizes, pledged DTEK network director Nmditro Sakharuk.

Water supply in the capital was restored last night, according to the municipal authorities.

Power outages are also occurring in the rest of Ukraine, with the restoration of critical infrastructure continuing steadily.

In Kharkiv province, the country’s second-largest city, not far from the Russian border, electricity has been largely restored after “very difficult” work, according to its mayor Igor Terekhov.

The governor of the province Oleh Sinekhubov clarified that 70% of households had electricity today, while yesterday “the whole region was in darkness due to the terrorism of the invaders”.

About 300,000 inhabitants of the provincehalf of which in the city of Kharkiv, remained without electricity today.

The World Health Organization warned of “potentially fatal” consequences for millions of Ukrainians who may be forced to flee their homes “in search of warmth and safety”.

“Let’s stay united. Maybe without electricity for now, but definitely without Russia,” Khmelnytskyi governor Serhii Hamaliy emphasized.

This province in western Ukraine is worst affected by the power outages, which affected more than 430,000 households by yesterday evening, Thursday, “despite the incredible efforts of workers”.

RES-EMP

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