Volodymyr Zelensky blamed “Russian terrorists” for “a complete blackout within the Kharkiv area. (File)

Kyiv:

President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday mentioned Russia was accountable for sweeping electrical energy cuts throughout east Ukraine, accusing Moscow of intentionally hitting civilian infrastructure.

Zelensky blamed “Russian terrorists” for “a complete blackout within the Kharkiv and Donetsk areas, a partial one within the Zaporizhzhia, Dnipropetrovsk and Sumy areas”.

“No army services,” he mentioned in an announcement on social media. “The purpose is to deprive individuals of sunshine and warmth.”

The blackouts affected areas with an estimated mixed inhabitants of 9 million individuals — together with territory managed by Russia.

They got here as Ukrainian forces claimed to have recaptured dozens of cities and villages in japanese Ukraine.

Officers within the Sumy, Dnipropetrovsk and Poltava areas mentioned shortly after the electrical energy minimize bulletins that energy had been restored.

The Russian assaults had been additionally disrupting railways, with the nationwide practice service saying delays all through the east together with the nation’s second largest metropolis, Kharkiv.

Senior Ukrainian presidential aide Mykhaylo Podolyak mentioned that among the many services hit was the Kharkiv CHPP-5 electrical energy station.

Footage distributed from an assault in Kharkiv by Kyrylo Tymoshenko within the Ukrainian presidential administration confirmed a blaze at an industrial website, with emergency providers on the scene.

Ukraine’s overseas ministry spokesman Oleg Nikolenko mentioned the Russian assaults had been an “act of desperation following Russia’s immense losses and retreat in japanese Ukraine.”

(Aside from the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV employees and is revealed from a syndicated feed.)