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Russia pounds Ukrainian power centers; Zelenskiy looks for air defences, 'political will'

Russia pounded Ukrainian power centers on Friday in an attack described by Kyiv as the largest airstrike on its energy facilities in 2 years of war, and depicted by Moscow as vengeance for Ukrainian attacks throughout its governmental election.

The rocket and drone attack struck a large dam over the Dnipro river, killed at least five people and left more than a million others without power, forcing Kyiv to look for emergency situation electrical power supplies from Poland, Romania and Slovakia, Kyiv authorities stated.

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, speaking in his nighttime video address, said the strikes proved again that Russian attacks on infrastructure might be stopped just with more air defence systems and that required political will from Ukraine's allies.

Russian horror is only possible now because we don't. have enough modern air defence systems which, to be honest,. requires enough political will to supply them, Zelenskiy said.

All our partners know what is needed and who can make. genuinely life-saving choices.

Military aid to Ukraine from Western allies has actually slowed. in recent months, in particular a $60 billion bundle from. Washington, stalled by political conflicts in the U.S. Congress.

The strikes, which Kyiv said triggered blackouts in seven. regions, revived memories of the winter of 2022-23 when Moscow. regularly bombed Ukraine's power grid.

Zelenskiy stated repair had made progress, with the worst. failures in Kharkiv, Ukraine's second largest city, central. Dnipropetrovsk area and Ivano-Frankivsk in the west.

The Russian defence ministry stated the airstrike was brought. out in retaliation for Ukrainian shelling and cross-border raids. recently as Russians participated in a stage-managed election that. handed President Vladimir Putin a 5th term.

Ukrainian Energy Minister German Galushchenko stated: The. goal is not just to damage, but to try again, like in 2015, to. trigger a massive failure of the nation's energy system.

Russia rejects targeting civilians, although the war that. began with its February 2022 invasion of Ukraine has eliminated. countless individuals, uprooted millions and destroyed towns and. cities.

SPECIFY OF WAR

Moscow says Ukrainian power centers are genuine. targets and such attacks are targeted at deteriorating Kyiv's military.

Kremlin representative Dmitry Peskov told a Russian publication. on Friday that Moscow saw itself as in a state of war due to the fact that. of the West's intervention on Kyiv's side.

The remark marked a rhetorical break from the special. military operation language that Moscow has utilized, an obvious. relocate to prepare Russians for a longer and harder battle.

European Union Council President Charles Michel stated. Russia's remarks about war with Europe revealed the value of. the EU's building its own defence market.

2 people were killed in the western Khmelnytskyi region. and three in Zaporizhzhia in the southeast, consisting of at least. one at the dam, said the local administration and basic. district attorney's workplace. More than 30 people were reported injured.

Ukraine's largest dam, the DniproHES in the city of. Zaporizhzhia, was struck 8 times, an authorities from the. Ukrainian prosecutor's office stated.

The state hydropower business stated there was no danger of a. breach. The business's director, Ihor Syrota, said both its power. blocks and the dam itself had actually been harmed.

A state environmental inspectorate stated that oil had leaked. into the Dnipro river which the dam straddles.

The broad impact these days's attacks on vital civilian. infrastructure is deepening the currently dire humanitarian. situation for millions of individuals in Ukraine, the UN's. humanitarian planner for Ukraine, Denise Brown, said in a. statement.

Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said around 20 substations and. electrical power stations had actually been struck in addition to the dam.

Russia fired 88 missiles and 63 Shahed drones, of which only. 37 and 55, respectively, were shot down, the Ukrainian flying force. said of the attacks.

That represented a worse ratio than typical, possibly. showing Moscow's prevalent use of ballistic rockets that. are harder to shoot down and likewise the proximity of the targeted. regions to Russian-controlled areas.

Some 1.2 million people in at least 4 areas were left. without power due to the attacks, governmental assistant Oleksiy. Kuleba stated on Telegram.

(source: Reuters)