Kyiv and Eastern Ukraine in Darkness as Zelensky Calls for Decisive Action

Kyiv and nine Ukrainian regions were plunged into darkness following massive Russian strikes, while President Volodymyr Zelensky urged allies to take “decisive action.”

According to Ukraine’s Ministry of Energy, the capital and nine other regions across the country suffered major power outages after overnight Russian airstrikes that targeted the national energy grid.

The ministry stated that “a large number of consumers were left without electricity in Kyiv” and surrounding areas, as well as in Donetsk, Dnipropetrovsk, Chernihiv, Cherkasy, Kharkiv, Sumy, Poltava, and Odesa, “following a massive attack involving missiles and drones.”

A Call for Decisive Action

In response to the Russian assault, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday called on his country’s allies, including the United States, to take concrete steps.

“We need decisive action from the United States, Europe, and the G7 through the provision of air defense systems and tougher sanctions,” Zelensky said in an online statement.

He confirmed that Russia had launched more than 450 drones and 30 missiles during the attack.

Early Friday morning, Ukrainian authorities announced that the entire eastern part of Kyiv had lost power after intense Russian strikes targeting energy facilities across several regions. The attacks also killed a seven-year-old child in Zaporizhzhia, in southeastern Ukraine.

Kyiv’s mayor said on Telegram that “the left (eastern) bank is without power, and there are also issues with the water supply network.”

An Agence France-Presse correspondent living in eastern Kyiv confirmed the power and water outages in his area.

During the night from Thursday to Friday, several explosions were heard across the capital, according to AFP reporters, while the Ukrainian Ministry of Energy said that the country’s energy facilities were under “massive attack.”

AFP journalists in central Kyiv reported hearing multiple detonations and the buzzing sound of assault drones flying over the city.

In a Facebook post, the Ministry of Energy wrote that “the Russians are currently launching massive strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.”

In Zaporizhzhia, a seven-year-old child was killed in a Russian shelling, according to local military authorities.