(Bloomberg) — A salvo of Russian missiles knocked out power across Ukraine as President Vladimir Putin’s forces continued their campaign of attacking infrastructure.
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Rockets slammed into residential areas across the country on Friday, including the capital Kyiv, according to Mayor Vitali Klitschko. Kharkiv, the country’s second-largest city, and Poltava suffered blackouts in the ninth barrage since October.
The attack, which underscores Moscow’s focus on pounding Ukraine’s energy infrastructure in an attempt to weaken the nation’s resolve to resist Putin’s invasion, included more than 60 missiles, air defense spokesman Yuriy Ihnat said in a televized interview.
Officials are conducting emergency blackouts across the country after strikes hit power facilities, including in Kyiv, the deputy head of President Zelenskiy’s staff, Kyrylo Tymoshenko, said on Telegram. With temperatures hovering around freezing, there will be temporary disruptions to water and heating, and it will take at least several hours before the situation normalizes, he said.
It was the first large-scale barrage since Dec. 5, when Ukraine said it had downed more than 60 of the 70 missiles it said Russia had launched.
Ukraine’s allies have responded by heeding Kyiv’s call for more air-defense capabilities, with US officials saying Washington is poised to send Patriot air and missile defense batteries to Ukraine pending final approval from President Joe Biden.
A top Ukrainian official also said Thursday that Moscow may only have enough firepower for three or four more missile barrages. Russia denies it has any difficulties in supplying its military, even as western intelligence services say that it has turned to Iran for drones and is seeking artillery shells from North Korea.
–With assistance from Olesia Safronova.
(Updates with number of missiles in third paragraph, president office’s comment in fourth.)
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