President Volodymyr Zelensky noted that Kyiv and Kharkiv oblasts have been the most impacted by Russia’s mass attack against Ukraine’s energy infrastructure on Jan. 14.
“Repair crews are doing everything possible to restore electricity generation and supply as soon as possible, and work will continue around the clock,” Zelensky said.
Zelensky said that Russia’s attacks against Ukraine affected the cities of Kyiv, Kharkiv, Odesa, Kryvyi Rih, Dnipro, Vinnytsia, Khmelnytskyi, Burshtyn, and Ladyzhyn, in addition to others.
Zelensky’s address came after Russia’s 10th mass missile strike targeting Ukraine’s critical infrastructure since Oct. 10, 2022.
According to several media reports earlier on Jan. 14, the Kharkiv metro stopped operating temporarily due to a power outage amid Russia’s attack.
Kharkiv Oblast Governor Oleh Syniehubov reported that Russian missiles hit a critical infrastructure site in Kharkiv Oblast, leading to power cut-offs.
According to Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko, energy infrastructure was hit in six Ukrainian oblasts as Russia unleashed its 10th mass missile attack across Ukraine in the afternoon of Jan. 14. They include facilities in Kyiv, Kharkiv, Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Vinnytsia oblasts, according to the minister.
The attack caused emergency power outages in most of Ukraine's regions, Halushchenko said. At least five people were killed in the city of Dnipro.
Ukraine's largest private energy company DTEK reported that the attack hit two of its thermal power plants, one of which "stopped producing electricity."
DTEK did not specify the locations of its facilities but said they had previously been hit multiple times. There were no casualties at the sites, DTEK added.
According to DTEK, Jan. 14 marks Russia's 26th attack on its energy facilities.
Russia has repeatedly attacked Ukraine's critical infrastructure with hundreds of missiles and drones since Oct. 10, killing dozens of civilians and severely damaging the country's energy system.
Russia admitted that Ukraine's energy infrastructure is among its primary targets. According to the Geneva Conventions, targeting vital public infrastructure constitutes a war crime.