Ukraine’s capital has been left largely without water and suffering power cuts this morning after Russia unleashed another missile barrage on major cities.
Vitali Klitschko, the mayor of Kyiv, said 80 per cent of his city has been left without water and 350,000 homes have no power after Russian cruise missiles hit key infrastructure sites – with witnesses reporting five explosions.
Kharkiv, in the north, Dnipro and Cherkasy, in central Ukraine, and the southern city of Zaporizhzhia were also hit – causing power cuts.
More than 50 cruise missiles were fired by Russian strategic bombers with 44 of the projectiles shot down, Kyiv’s commanders said.
It comes two days after Russia’s Black Sea fleet was damaged by explosive-laden drones in an attack blamed on Ukraine.
Russian missiles are shot down over Kyiv on Monday morning amidst a barrage by Moscow’s troops which hit Ukrainian power stations
People shelter in the Kyiv subway system as Russian missiles rain down on the capital early on Monday, leaving parts of the city without power
At least five explosions were heard across Kyiv on Monday as Russia launched more missiles at power facilities (pictured, people shelter in the subway system)
Smoke rises over the city of Dnipro, in central Ukraine, after Russian missiles bombarded the country early on Monday
Kyiv regional governor Oleksii Kuleba also said one person was wounded and a number of houses were damaged in this morning’s attack.
In Kharkiv, two strikes hit critical infrastructure facilities, according to the authorities, and the subway stopped working.
Officials also warned about possible power outages in the city of Zaporizhzhia from the strikes there.
Critical infrastructure objects were also hit in the Cherkasy region, and explosions were reported in other regions.
In the Kirovohrad region of central Ukraine, an energy facility was struck, according to local authorities.
In Vinnytsia, a missile that was shot down landed on civilian buildings, resulting in damage but no casualties, according to regional governor Serhii Borzov.
Parts of the country’s rail network were also cut off from power, Ukrainian Railways reported.
Russia has been targeting civilian infrastructure, including electricity and water supplies, in an apparent attempt to freeze Ukrainians in their homes as winter hits.
Facing setbacks on the battlefield, Moscow seems to be targeting civilians to break their will to continue the war. Such attacks are war crimes, under international law.
It comes after a weekend in which Russia blamed Ukraine for a drone attack on its Black Sea fleet.
Moscow has since withdrawn its support for ships taking grain out of Ukraine’s ports and into world markets, saying it could ‘no longer guarantee their safety’.
A volunteer clears the rubble of a destroyed house as a result of shelling in the village of Moshchun, Kyiv region
Women set a dinner table near a destroyed house as a result of shelling in the village of Gorenka, Kyiv region
Russia has been ramping up attacks against Ukraine’s power network in recent weeks as Putin’s forces face being pushed back on the battlefield (file image, smoke over Kyiv)
Destroyed Russian tanks and dumped in a scrap heap amidst Ukraine’s counter-attack against Putin’s forces in the Kharkiv region
Ukrainian soldiers inspect a destroyed Russian tank in the Kharkiv region at the weekend
Dmytro Kuleba, the Ukrainian foreign minister, added: ‘Another batch of Russian missiles hits Ukraine’s critical infrastructure.
‘Instead of fighting on the battlefield, Russia fights civilians.
‘Don’t justify these attacks by calling them a “response”. Russia does this because it still has the missiles and the will to kill Ukrainians.’
Russia said Saturday’s attack, at the Crimean port of Sevastopol, involved nine drones which damaged one warship.
Footage released over the weekend appeared to give a drone’s-eye-view of the attack – closing in on a warship as a helicopter attempted to blow the drone up.
Another piece of black-and-white footage seemed to reveal the moment a ship was struck, with an explosion lighting up the night sky.
Moscow claimed all of the ships targeted were involved in the mission to allow grain ships to navigate the heavily-mined waters of the Black Sea and transport food to global markets, where it is used to feed some of the world’s poorest.
As a result, the Kremlin said it was withdrawing support for the mission.
However, Kyiv – with support from Turkey – plans to push ahead with fresh shipments today amid fears the vessels could come under attack.
Incredible video footage from a Ukrainian underwater drone appears to show the Russian Black Sea flagship, Admiral Makarov
Plumes of smoke were visible after Ukrainian drone strikes in the middle of the night – Russia say they had to destroy nine drones and seven maritime drones