3 hours ago
photo released, Getty Images
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A thermal power plant in Kharkiv was damaged after a Russian missile attack.
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia is trying to “deprive people of light and heat” by causing blackouts in eastern Ukraine in response to a Ukrainian counterattack.
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According to reports, the power outages have affected an estimated nine million people in regions of eastern Ukraine, including Kharkiv and Donetsk.
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This comes after Ukraine claimed it had regained more than 3,000 square kilometers during a quick counter-offensive to the east.
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The BBC cannot verify this data.
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Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov said Russian attacks on civilian infrastructure have left much of his city without electricity or water.
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He described this as a despicable attempt to avenge the recent successes of the Ukrainian army.
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What appeared to be two more missile attacks could be heard later in the evening, BBC international affairs correspondent Urla Guerin reported from Kharkiv.
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Terekhov and the governor of the region called for calm, saying the emergency services were working to repair the damage and put out the fires.
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The governor of the neighboring Sumy region said more than 130 settlements in a single district are without electricity.
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Similar problems have been reported in the Dnepropetrovsk and Poltava regions.
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In a provocative post on social media after the blackout, President Zelensky accused Russia of carrying out “terrorist acts” targeting civilian infrastructure.
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This comes after a significant Ukrainian advance, which, if confirmed, would mean Ukrainian forces will triple their territorial gains in just over 48 hours.
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President Zelensky said 1,000 square kilometers were being restored on Thursday evening. That number rose to 2,000 square kilometers on Saturday night and then to 3,000 on Sunday.
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Journalists were denied frontline access, but several videos on social media show Ukrainian forces in towns and villages that were until recently controlled by Russia.
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Ukrainian forces entered the main city of Balaklia on Friday. Russia subsequently confirmed the withdrawal of troops, to “strengthen efforts” on the Donetsk front.
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On Saturday, Ukraine recaptured two major Russian-controlled supply cities, Izyum and Kobyansk. Russia confirmed the withdrawal of its forces from the two cities, saying this would allow them to “regroup”.
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Izyum Mayor Valery Marchenko said residents will be able to return to the city in about 10 days for the first time since Russia seized it in March.
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He told the BBC that two-thirds of the population had fled, but most wanted to return despite widespread destruction and a lack of electricity, water or communications.
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He said Izyum was probably the largest logistics center in the Russian army, as it was a gateway to Sloviansk and Kramatorsk in the Donbass region, where Russia wanted to advance.
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But Russia still controls about a fifth of the country and few envision a quick end to the war.
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In an interview with the Financial Times, Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov warned of a possible Russian counterattack.
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“The counterattack liberates the territory, and then you have to take control of it and prepare to defend it,” Reznikov said.
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