Zelensky reports Russian strikes cut power to hundreds of thousands in four regions

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that Russian forces attacked energy infrastructure in four regions overnight on Saturday. The strikes left hundreds of thousands of homes without electricity. Repair crews worked throughout the day to restore service. By early evening, most customers in the Dnipropetrovsk region had power restored. The regional governor said more than 60,000 people in that area remained without electricity.

The State Emergency Service of Ukraine reported that another overnight strike killed two people in the Vinnytsia region. One of the victims was a 13-year-old girl. Zelensky said the intensity of Russian attacks has been extremely high over the past week. He noted that Russia is trying to exploit a shortage of ballistic missile interceptors. He said Ukraine communicates its need for Patriot missiles to the United States, Europe, and other partners every day.

Ukraine struck a major missile fuel producer in Russia's Rostov region. Zelensky said the attack caused a fire and damaged four production facilities. Across Ukraine, emergency power cuts have been introduced due to regular attacks on energy infrastructure. In the capital, Kyiv, electricity is cut off for most of the day. Water supplies are also disrupted.

A rare humanitarian ceasefire in the Kherson region is set to end at 22:59 Ukrainian time on Sunday. The pause in fighting began on Tuesday. It was brokered with the help of US First Lady Melania Trump and Pope Leo. The truce was originally limited to the city of Oleshky, which Russia has occupied since February 2022. It was later expanded to the wider Kherson region.

Residents of Oleshky faced severe shortages of food, water, and electricity. Many cooked garden weeds to survive. The city was trapped by the Dnipro River on one side and Russian forces on the other. Escape routes were mined and subject to drone attacks. The ceasefire allowed residents to evacuate if they chose to do so.

Evacuees traveled through Russian-occupied territory to southern Russia. They then flew to Belarus before being driven across Ukraine's northern border. Dmytro Lubinets, Ukraine's human rights ombudsman, said the oldest evacuee was 94 years old. The youngest was one year old. Ukrainian military positions are located just 5 kilometers from Oleshky. Fighting continued elsewhere on the front line while the local truce held.