Ukrainian officials said Russia launched an attack on the capital Kiev and other cities on Friday, causing power outages across the country.
The army chief of staff said the Russian army fired 76 missiles, 60 of which were shot down by Ukraine; the energy minister said at least 9 power generation plants were affected. In addition, the Ukrainian Air Force said Russia sent fighter jets in the vicinity to try and distract Ukraine’s air defense forces. Defense advisers said emergency services are working to restore power, but that repairs have become increasingly difficult as Russian attacks become more frequent.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia still has enough missiles for a large-scale strike and again urged Western countries to provide more air defense systems. Kyiv’s mayor said that only a third of residents have both heat and water supplies, and only 40 percent have electricity supplies. The second largest city, Kharkov in the north-east, was hit hard: local electricity, water and heating were temporarily cut off, and 55 percent of the electricity supply was restored on Friday evening alone.
