Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said more than 1.5 million people in the southern Ukraine city of Odessa were left without electricity on Monday after Russia launched a nighttime attack using Iranian kamikaze drones.
Energy authorities have warned that repairs will take weeks, possibly up to three months, after Sunday’s attack.
“Odessa and other cities and villages in the region are in darkness after the Iranian drone strike at night,” Zelensky said. “To date, more than 1.5 million people in the Odessa region are without electricity.”
Only critical infrastructure such as hospitals and maternity wards will be powered, said Kyrylo Tymoshenko, deputy head of the Ukrainian president’s office. “The situation remains difficult, but it is under control,” he stressed.
The Black Sea port city was a favorite vacation spot for many Ukrainians and Russians before Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered an invasion of Ukraine on February 24 this year.
Odessa region governor Maksym Marchenko said Russia used Iranian kamikaze drones to attack the city at night and that “because of the attack almost all areas and communities were without electricity.”
Machenko added that two drones were shot down by Ukrainian air defenses.
Ukraine said on the 9th that its southern regions, including Odessa, were suffering severe blackouts after days of systematic Russian attacks on the electricity grid.
Russia launched dozens of cruise missiles at critical Ukrainian infrastructure on Monday, increasing pressure on Ukraine’s already troubled power grid.
After suffering a humiliating military defeat, Russia has instead begun targeting Ukrainian infrastructure for attacks.
Despite protests over the attacks that have plunged millions into cold and darkness, Putin vowed on Monday to continue targeting Ukraine’s electricity grid.
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