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lite.cnn.com - on gopher - inofficial
ARTICLE VIEW:
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Massive Russian strikes across Ukraine trigger blackouts and kill at
least five people
By Maria Kostenko and Sophie Tanno, CNN
Updated:
9:15 AM EST, Sun November 17, 2024
Source: CNN
Russia launched its largest in months, hitting energy infrastructure
across the country, killing at least five people and causing widespread
damage.
Strikes were reported in several major cities, from Odesa in the south,
Dnipro in the east to Rivne in the west. In the capital Kyiv, which has
seen near-daily strikes since the start of September, residents were
forced to shelter in the metro network.
Two people were killed in a drone strike in the Mykolaiv region, while
six others including two children were injured. A further two were
killed in Odesa in an attack which also injured a 17-year-old boy, and
a woman was killed in her car in Lviv region, the governor said.
The last comparable attack happened on August 28, when Russia launched
127 missiles and 109 attack drones at Ukraine, the Ukrainian Air Force
said.
The overnight strikes triggered blackouts in several regions, including
Odesa where heating, water and electricity supplies have been cut and
hospitals are running on power from generators.
Ukrainian energy company DTEK said its thermal power plants were
attacked and equipment was “severely damaged.”
The war - now nearing its third year - has reached a critical point for
Ukraine, with Russia making gains across the frontlines and Donald
Trump retaking the White House, which could mean the end to vital US
support.
Ukraine’s energy supplies have been repeatedly targeted by Russian
attacks since its full-scale invasion in February 2022, causing rolling
blackouts. Bombardments have , leaving the country in a precarious
position as the war grinds into its third winter.
“This is war criminal Putin’s true response to all those who called
and visited him recently. We need peace through strength, not
appeasement,” Foreign Minister Andrii Sibyha wrote on X.
Sibyha was likely referencing Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s with
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, which lasted an hour and was a rare
high-level call between a western leader and Putin, who has been
isolated by his invasion of Ukraine.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said approximately 120
missiles and 90 drones were launched overnight in the Russian attack.
Ukraine’s defense forces destroyed over 140 aerial targets, he added.
All parts of Ukaine have been targeted, including the western regions,
he said.
“The enemy’s target was our energy infrastructure across Ukraine.
Unfortunately, some facilities sustained damage from direct hits and
falling debris,” Zelensky said Sunday morning.
The Ukrainian leader added that some areas remain without power, which
authorities are working to restore.
In a post on X later on Sunday, Zelensky stressed that “Russian
terrorists are once again trying to intimidate us with cold and
blackouts, repeating their actions and trying to get results from
them.”
The Russian Ministry of Defense acknowledged the attack in a statement
on Telegram Sunday, saying that Russia launched a “massive” strike
with “high-precision long-range air and sea-based weapons and strike
drones” targeting critical energy infrastructure.
Germany’s Scholz on Sunday defended his phone call with the Russian
leader. Speaking to reporters, the chancellor described the call as
“important” and “very detailed,” although he noted that
“little has changed in the Russian President’s views of the war -
and that’s not good news.”
He said that it would not be good if a US administration was in regular
contact with Putin while no European leader was, referencing Donald
Trump’s imminent return to the White House.
The attack overnight comes as Russia is making gains at key spots along
the frontlines of eastern and southeastern Ukraine, moving closer to
key hubs like the city of Kurakhove.
Russia claimed Saturday it captured two more eastern settlements in the
Donetsk region, although there was no confirmation from Ukraine. At the
same time, Moscow is preparing to launch a counteroffensive in the
southern Russian region of Kursk, the site of Kyiv’s only major
military success this year.
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