More than 400 Ukrainian towns report power outage
On Friday evening, Russia launches a massive drone attack on Ukraine. Although the air force is able to fend off the majority of the missiles, some still hit the energy infrastructure. The result: power cuts in hundreds of towns and villages.
According to the Ministry of Energy, a wave of Russian attacks on Ukraine has resulted in power cuts in more than 400 locations across the country. Power grids were damaged, particularly in the south around the port city of Odessa and in the south-east in the Zaporizhia region, the ministry said.
According to the air force, the attacks lasted from Friday evening until the early hours of the morning. Russia had fired 38 Iranian-made Shahed drones at Ukraine. The Ukrainian air defense was able to shoot down 29 of them. Drones targeting Kiev were also shot down. This was the second attack on the capital this month.
According to the Ministry of Energy, 416 settlements in the south and south-east of Ukraine lost power. The same happened in six towns in the northern Chernihiv region. Last winter, Russia targeted the infrastructure with hundreds of missiles and drones. As a result, millions of Ukrainians had to make do without electricity, heating and water in the cold.
Scholz: Ready to talk to Putin again
This year, the fall has been unusually mild in Ukraine. But with temperatures now dropping, the authorities are warning the population and the economy of the consequences of new Russian attacks. "We cannot allow ourselves to relax," said the head of the Ukrainian electricity grid operator Ukrenergo, Volodymyr Kudrytsky, on television. The military and the energy sector were preparing to fend off possible Russian attacks on the energy infrastructure.
Meanwhile, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to take the first step towards a possible peaceful solution in Ukraine. "He must withdraw troops," said the SPD politician at a citizens' dialog in Nuthetal, Brandenburg. However, there are currently no signs of this happening, he replied to the question of whether there could be peace negotiations. Putin must not succeed in his goal of using force to annex parts of a neighboring country.
Scholz said that he was prepared to talk to Putin again. But this would only make sense if Putin was prepared to move. The two last spoke on the phone on December 2 last year. Scholz again assured Ukraine of help in defending itself against the Russian invasion for as long as necessary.
- The attack on Ukraine by Russia, as seen on Friday evening, involved the use of over 38 Iranian-made Shahed drones, many of which were intercepted by the Ukrainian air defense, but some still caused significant damage to the energy infrastructure, resulting in power outages in over 400 towns and villages.
- In the wake of the attack, Germany's Chancellor Olaf Scholz has called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to withdraw troops from Ukraine and initiate peaceful negotiations, while also expressing his readiness to engage in talks with Putin if he demonstrates a willingness to move towards peace.
- The ongoing wars and conflicts in Ukraine have led to severe consequences for the Ukrainian population, with last winter witnessing hundreds of missile and drone attacks on the country's infrastructure, leaving millions without electricity, heating, and water.
Source: www.ntv.de
