The warnings came amid ongoing Russian missile and drone strikes on Uthe country’s energy networks. As temperatures begin to fall with the onset of the typically harsh Ukrainian winter, Mr Zelensky said: “We also understand that the terrorist state is concentrating forces and means for a possible repetition of mass attacks on our infrastructure. First of all, energy. In particular, for this, Russia needs Iranian missiles. We are preparing to respond.”
Planned blackouts were today scheduled to hit seven regions of Ukraine, according to Ukraine’s state-run energy company.
They included the city of Kyiv, and the regions of Kyiv, Chernihiv, Cherkasy, Zhytomyr, Sumy, Kharkiv and Poltava.
The occupied city of Kherson has also now lost power for the first time since Russia began its invasion of Ukraine.
Presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said on Twitter that Ukraine would “stand” despite Russian attacks on its energy infrastructure, adding that this would be done by using air defence, protecting infrastructure and optimising consumption.
Russian strikes over the past month have destroyed around a third of Ukraine’s power stations and the government has urged Ukrainians to conserve electricity as much as possible.
Sergei Kovalenko, head of energy firm Yasno, said Ukraine faced a 32per cent deficit in projected power supply.
Ukraine’s authorities have issued scheduled blackouts across the country in order to stabilise the grid, and 17 EU countries have sent 500 power generators to Ukraine to help ease the energy crisis.
President Zelensky said such ‘stabilisation blackouts’ would continue in Kyiv and six regions. Describing the situation as “really difficult” he said more than 4.5million Ukrainians – mostly in Kyiv and the surrounding region – were without electricity.
Kyiv’s mayor told residents to consider leaving the capital in the event of a complete blackout.
Mr Klitschko said he could not rule out the prospect of a complete blackout for the capital as Russia continued its campaign of strikes on energy infrastructure.
The former heavyweight boxing champion told residents to prepare by buying power banks and warm clothes. In case of an all-out blackout, he said Kyiv’s residents should try to stay with relatives outside the capital.
“If you have extended family or friends outside Kyiv, where there is autonomous water supply, an oven, heating, please keep in mind the possibility of staying there for a certain amount of time,” he said.
However, Mr Klitschko urged people in Kyiv not to be “pessimistic”, saying he was only advising people to prepare for different scenarios. “We will do everything that depends on us so that such a scenario does not happen.”