Russian forces have again targeted Ukraine’s energy facilities, leaving part of Kyiv and other cities with no power and water.
Explosions were heard in the capital shortly after 09:00 and plumes of smoke billowed from around a power station near the Dnipro River.
Power and water were cut in Zhytomyr, west of Kyiv, and two facilities were badly damaged in Dnipro.
The latest attacks came 24 hours after Kyiv was hit by “kamikaze” drones.
The unmanned drones, believed to be Iranian-made, killed at least five people in the capital and four in the northern city of Sumy, and struck critical infrastructure, with power outages reported in hundreds of towns and villages.
Russia has stepped up attacks in recent weeks on electricity infrastructure in cities away from the front lines. Officials have rushed to repair the damage, but the strikes, ahead of winter, have raised concerns about how the system will respond.
“Ukraine is under fire by the occupiers. They continue to do what they do best, terrorize and kill civilians,” said President Volodymyr Zelensky in response to the attacks.
It was not initially clear to what extent drones were involved, although Kyrylo Tymoshenko, deputy head of the presidential office, said an S-300 anti-aircraft missile was fired at a residential building in the southern city of Mykolaiv overnight, killing one person. The city’s flower market was also destroyed.
In some cities, Ukrainians are buying power generators and gas burners, while across the country, people have been urged to reduce their energy consumption at peak times. Some towns are already facing rolling blackouts.
The latest attacks, by both missiles and drones, have brought renewed calls from the Ukrainian government for the delivery of air defence missiles.
Earlier, the US said it agreed with its French and UK allies that the supply of drones by Iran violated a UN Security Council resolution linked to a nuclear agreement, barring the transfer of certain military technology.
Bbc/Adebukola Aluko
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