Russian attacks with “Kamikaze drones” have caused massive power outages in the southern Ukrainian port city of Odessa. Apart from facilities such as hospitals and maternity wards, there is no power supply in the entire city after the night-time attacks, said the deputy head of the Ukrainian presidential office, Kyrylo Tymoshenko, on Saturday in the messenger service Telegram. The situation is “difficult but under control”.
According to regional governor Maksym Marchenko, almost all districts and municipalities in the Odessa region are also without power as a result of the drone strikes. Two of the drones were shot down by Ukrainian air defenses, he said.
After a series of defeats at the front and with the onset of winter, Russia had begun attacking Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. Last Monday, the Russian armed forces launched another wave of missile attacks. The regions in the south of the country were hardest hit, as the government in Kiev announced on Friday.
Internationally, the Russian attacks on Ukraine’s civilian energy supply, which leaves millions of people without electricity and heating in freezing temperatures, have met with sharp criticism. Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin announced on Thursday that the attacks would continue. He accused Ukraine of being responsible for the wave of attacks.
