Show only key events Please enable JavaScript to use this feature
The occupied Chersona loses power
The occupied city of Kherson lost power for the first time since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine. In a statement on Telegram, the administration of Russian-controlled Kherson said electricity and water supplies were cut after a “terrorist attack” damaged three power lines on the Berislav-Kakhovka highway in an occupied part of the region. Yuriy Sobolevsky, deputy head of the Kherson regional council, said about 10 settlements in the region were affected, as well as the main city. Russian officials said Ukraine was preparing to launch a second offensive to retake more of the Kherson region. Recapturing it would have enormous symbolic and logistical value for Ukraine, as Russia wants the region to secure a water supply to Crimea, as well as a land bridge to Russia. The head of the regional administration, Yaroslav Yanusevic, blamed Russia for the blackouts. He said that in the region’s town of Berislav, about 1.5 kilometers (one mile) of power lines had been damaged, resulting in a complete blackout because “the damage is quite extensive.” A Ukrainian soldier inside a dugout in the northern Kherson region on November 6. Photo: Hannibal Hanschke/EPA Energy experts were working to “quickly” resolve the issue, the Russian-backed authorities said, as they urged people to “remain calm”. Kherson’s Moscow-appointed governor, Vladimir Saldo, said authorities hoped to regain power by the end of Monday. News of the outage followed claims on Sunday in Russian state media that the Kakhovka dam in the Kherson region was damaged by a Ukrainian strike with Himars rockets. In recent weeks Ukraine warned that Moscow’s forces intended to blow up the strategic installation to cause flooding. The hydroelectric dam was captured by Moscow forces at the start of their attack.
The mayor of Kyiv is urging residents to prepare for a complete blackout
Kyiv’s mayor told residents to consider leaving the capital in the event of a total blackout. Vitali Klitschko said he could not rule out the prospect of a total blackout for the capital as Russia continues its campaign of strikes on energy infrastructure. Speaking to Ukraine’s United News, a central news program broadcast on all channels, Klitschko told people to prepare by buying power banks and warm clothes. In the event of a total blackout, he said Kyiv residents should try to stay with relatives outside the capital. A bartender in Kyiv uses candlelight during a power outage. Photo: Sergei Supinsky/AFP/Getty Images If you have a large family or friends outside Kyiv, where there is an autonomous water supply, oven, heating, please keep in mind the possibility of staying there for a certain period of time,” he said. However, Klitschko urged people in Kyiv not to be “pessimistic”, saying he was simply advising people to prepare for different scenarios. “We will do everything in our power to prevent such a scenario from happening.” As of Sunday afternoon, stabilization blackouts continued in Kyiv and six regions, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said. Describing the situation as “really difficult”, he said more than 4.5 million Ukrainians – mostly in and around Kyiv – were without electricity. Updated at 06.13 GMT
Zelensky warns of “massive attacks” on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure
Volodymyr Zelenskiy has warned of continued “massive attacks” on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. The Ukrainian president said in his final speech on Sunday afternoon: We also understand that the terrorist state is gathering forces and means for possible repetition of massive attacks on our infrastructure. First of all energy. In particular, for this, Russia needs Iranian missiles. We are preparing to respond.” Presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said earlier on Twitter that Ukraine would “stand” despite Russian attacks on its energy infrastructure, adding that this would be done by using air defenses, protecting infrastructure and optimizing consumption. Russian strikes last month destroyed about a third of Ukraine’s power plants, and the government urged Ukrainians to conserve electricity as much as possible. Sergei Kovalenko, CEO of Yasno, a major energy supplier in the capital, said Ukraine faced a 32 percent shortfall in its projected power supply on Monday. “It’s a lot and it’s force majeure,” he said. Ukrainian authorities have issued planned blackouts across the country to stabilize the grid, and 17 EU countries have sent 500 power generators to Ukraine to help ease the energy crisis.
Summary and welcome
Hello and welcome back to the Guardian’s live coverage of the war in Ukraine. I’m Samantha Lock and I’ll be bringing you all the latest developments as they unfold over the next few hours. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has warned of continued Russian “massive attacks” on the country’s energy infrastructure as Ukraine grapples with the destruction of around a third of its power plants. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko told residents to consider leaving the capital in the event of a total blackout. For any updates or comments you’d like to share, please feel free to reach out via email or Twitter. If you’ve just joined us, here’s all the latest:
Ukraine braces for blackouts and new Russian attacks on its energy infrastructure. Russia is “gathering forces and means for a possible repetition of massive attacks on our infrastructure, mainly energy,” said Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president. Ukraine faced a 32 percent shortfall in its projected electricity supply on Monday, said Sergey Kovalenko, CEO of Yasno, a major energy supplier in the capital. “It’s a lot and it’s force majeure,” he said. About 500 power generators were sent to Ukraine from 17 EU countries as 4.5 million Ukrainians were left without power. Kyiv’s mayor urged residents to prepare for the worst-case scenario by making emergency plans to leave the city and stay with friends or family. Vitali Klitschko urged residents to “consider everything” including the loss of power and water. “If you have a large family or friends outside Kyiv, where there is an autonomous water supply, oven, heating, please keep in mind the possibility of staying there for a certain period of time.” The Russian-held Ukrainian city of Kherson was cut off from water and electricity Sunday after an airstrike and damage to the Kakhovka dam, local officials said. “In Kherson and some other areas in the region, there is temporarily no electricity or water supply,” the Moscow-based city administration said on Telegram. Russia accused Ukraine of an act of “sabotage”. Ukraine’s military said Russia was urging residents of Kherson to leave as soon as possible by sending warning messages to their phones on Sunday. Russian soldiers warned civilians that the Ukrainian army was preparing for a massive attack and told people to leave immediately for the right bank of the city. Nataliya Humenyuk, a spokeswoman for Ukraine’s southern forces, said Russia was “occupying and evacuating” Kherson at the same time, trying to convince Ukrainians its force would leave while they were actually digging in. civilians from the city. Russian forces are stepping up strikes in a hotly contested region of eastern Ukraine, worsening already difficult conditions for residents and the Ukrainian military, Ukrainian authorities said. “The very intense Russian attacks in the Donetsk region continue. The enemy is suffering heavy losses there,” Zelensky said in his nightly video speech. US officials have reportedly privately warned the Ukrainian government that it must signal it is open to negotiations with Russia. Officials in Washington have warned that “Ukraine fatigue” among the allies could worsen if Kyiv continues to be closed to negotiations, the Washington Post reported. U.S. officials told the paper that Ukraine’s negotiating position with Russia was weak among allies worried about the economic impact of a protracted war. External power has been restored to Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant two days after it was disconnected from the power grid when Russian shelling damaged power lines, the UN nuclear watchdog said. Europe’s largest nuclear power plant needs electricity to keep its vital cooling systems running, but has been running on emergency diesel generators since Russian bombing cut off its external connections. US national security adviser Jake Sullivan has held secret talks with top Russian officials in hopes of reducing the risk of nuclear conflict, the Wall Street Journal reported. It cites US and allied officials that Sullivan had previously undisclosed conversations in recent months with Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov and Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev, a Sullivan counterpart. The White House declined to comment on the report.
