After the most recent wave of Russian airstrikes
targeted energy installations all throughout the nation, Kharkiv, Ukraine's
second-largest city, is now without electricity.
Officials say as many as nine power facilities were
targeted as Russian soldiers launched 76 missiles and carried out drone
assaults across Ukraine.
The mayor of Kharkiv said that the barrage caused
"colossal" damage to the city.
As the attacks got underway on Friday morning, one
resident, Anastaisa, told the BBC that she heard "multiple
explosions."
The mother of a two-month-old baby said that the
lights "began flashing in a couple of minutes." "We lost
electricity in less than 10 seconds, after which everything simply became
motionless. Technically, we currently have a city without electricity and water
supplies since the pumping stations cannot function while there is no power in
the city."
The chairman of Kharkiv's regional administration,
Oleg Synegubov, stated that electricity was expected to be restored by
midnight, but power grid operator Ukrenergo issued a warning that lengthier
restoration times may be expected due to the extent of the damage.
The organization stated in a statement that the most
recent strikes had reduced the energy system's capacity by more than half and
that "essential infrastructure" such as hospitals, water supply
facilities, heat supply facilities, and sewage treatment plants would receive
precedence.
According to Yuriy Sak, a defence ministry advisor,
while emergency personnel were trying to restore electrical supply, the
situation was "still challenging." Repairing the damage is becoming
more challenging due to Russia's regular strikes.
A residential structure in Kryvyi Rih was struck,
resulting in three deaths and 13 injuries, and a third person perished in
Kherson. The metro system in Kyiv, the capital, came to a complete halt.
On Friday, the air defences of Ukraine, according to
Commander-in-Chief General Valeriy Zaluzhny, intercepted 60 out of the 76
missiles fired, the majority of which were cruise missiles.
One of the heaviest barrages since Russia's invasion
on February 24th, according to Kyiv municipal officials, was the firing of
almost 40 missiles towards the capital alone. It said that 37 were taken down
by air defences.
Oksana, 42, a resident of the capital, said,
"It's incredibly stressful, but I'm accustomed to this already."
"I don't want this for our children to experience; I don't want them to be
in basements or shelters."
As temperatures throughout parts of the nation
remain below freezing, Ukraine has accused Russia of "weaponizing
winter" by attacking crucial infrastructure.
By missile attacks, three employees at power plants
in the Dnipropetrovsk region were hurt.
The Sumy area, which is near the Russian border in
the north, as well as the central cities of Poltava and Kremenchuk had power
outages as a result of Russian strikes.
According to reports, fifteen rockets were fired
towards Zaporizhzhia in the south, and numerous parts of Kiev, according to
Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko, were struck. According to him, water supplies had been
impacted by damage to the energy infrastructure, and the city's metro lines
weren't now operating.
Since the round of attacks started on October 10th,
Russia has launched over 1,000 missiles and Iranian-made attack drones, but the
majority of them have been shot down by air defences. More than 100 missiles
and drones were used in the largest barrage, which occurred in mid-November.
Volker Turk, the UN's human rights commissioner,
issued a warning on Thursday, saying that more assaults on power plants might
"further seriously deteriorate the humanitarian situation and provoke more
displacement."
The most recent round of strikes, according to Prime
Minister Denys Shmyhal, is "another effort to perpetrate genocide on the
Ukrainian people."
Mr. Shmyhal earlier this week said that Russian
attacks this week had destroyed "all thermal and hydroelectric power
stations," causing severe blackouts and disruptions in the supply of water
and heat.
Only a few hours a day are available in some places
for electricity.
Elizavetta, 21, expressed her rage. "Our lives
are being destroyed by them [Russia]. Now, we are accustomed to it. The absence
of Russia is the most significant factor."
And Anastasia claimed that when winter arrived, life
was getting worse.
When it is daylight, she added, "it's still
manageable and I can handle it, but when it is dark outside, that's when my
troubles start because I need to see well, to measure baby formula, and to care
to the baby - those are stressful."
"Of course, the fact that we lack power alone
also causes a great deal of worry and strain. Since we cannot compare it to our
typical day, we must just get through the night. When day finally arrives,
things start to get a little better."