Russian-installed authorities have ordered all residents of the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson to leave “immediately” ahead of an expected advance by Ukrainian troops launching a counter-offensive to retake it . The pro-Kremlin regional administration called on civilians to use boat crossings on a major river to go deeper into Russian-held territory, citing a tense situation at the front and the threat of bombings and alleged “terrorist attacks” by Kyiv, the Associated Press reported. . On Friday, Ukrainian forces shelled Russian positions across the region, targeting supply routes.
More than a dozen Russian missiles hit energy facilities and other infrastructure across Ukraine on Saturday, the Ukrainian air force said, with strikes causing blackouts in parts of different regions. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the Russian attacks had taken place on a “very broad” scale, Reuters reported. He promised that his military would improve on an already good record of shooting down missiles with the help of its partners.
Russian military forces attacked energy facilities in western Ukraine, the country’s power grid operator said on Saturday. Ukrenergo told Telegram that “the scale of the damage is comparable or may exceed the consequences of the attack on October 10-12.” He said repair crews were beginning to repair facilities after the rocket attack, but there were restrictions as they tried to restore power.
Hundreds of thousands of people in central and western Ukraine woke up to power cuts and periodic bursts of gunfire as Ukrainian air defenses scrambled to shoot down incoming drones and missiles. Kira Rudik, a member of the Ukrainian parliament, said 1.5 million people were without power after Russian strikes on power plants on Saturday.
Ukraine’s prime minister said Russia has plunged Ukraine into a humanitarian catastrophe by attacking its energy infrastructure. Denys Shmyhal told German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine that Russia wanted to condemn Ukraine to “a cold winter in which many people could literally freeze to death.”
Ukrainian forces have pushed the Russians out of the settlements of Charivne and Chkalove in the Kherson region, the general staff of Ukrainian forces said on Saturday.
Iran’s foreign ministry has strongly condemned a call by France, Germany and Britain for the UN to investigate allegations that Russia used Iranian drones to attack Ukraine. Ukraine says Russia has used Iranian-made Shahed-136 attack drones. If true, the allegations would mark a violation of UN Security Council resolution 2231.