Russia-Ukraine war live: explosions in Kyiv as strikes across Ukraine cause blackouts

Key events

40% of Kyiv without heating after strike on energy facility

Kyiv mayor Vitalii Klitschko has just confirmed that one of the explosions was an attack on a power facility, and that 40% of Kyiv’s residents are now without heating. It is currently 4°C.

“After the missile attack, due to emergency power outages, 40% of the capital’s consumers are currently without heating. Water supply works normally,” he said on Telegram.

Summary

It is currently 8am in Kyiv. Here is a summary of what has happened overnight:

  • Russian strikes hit a series of Ukrainian regions early on Thursday, including the capital Kyiv, the Black Sea port of Odesa and the second-largest city Kharkiv, knocking out power to several areas, regional officials said. The attacks struck a wide arc of targets, including cities stretching from Zhytomyr, Vynnytsia and Rivne in the west to Dnipro and Poltava in central Ukraine.

  • Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko said explosions were registered in the south-western part of the city and rescue services were on their way. Two people were injured. Power supply has been cut pre-emptively to about 15% of Kyiv residents, he said.

  • The strikes cut Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant off from the power grid, the company Enerhoatom announced on Thursday morning. “Today, the last line of communication between the occupied Zaporizhzhia NPP and the Ukrainian power system has been cut off. Fuel for operation remains for 10 days,” the company said in a statement. In August last year fires caused by shelling cut the last remaining power line to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, temporarily disconnecting it from Ukraine’s National Grid for the first time in nearly 40 years of operation. Then, it took two weeks for power to be restored to the plant.

  • Zelenskiy said he won’t meet with Putin until Russia leaves Ukraine. Ukraine’s president appeared on CNN on Wednesday night in a pre-recorded interview. When asked by Wolf Blitzer what it would take to get him to meet with Putin, Zelenskiy said, “We don’t have any circumstances to talk to the Russian Federation president because he doesn’t hold his word” and “Russia should leave our territory. And after that, we’re happy to join the diplomatic tools. In order to do that, we can find any format with our partners just after that”.

Here is a photo from Svyatoshyn in Kyiv, where missile strikes set cars alight:

Emergency workers at the site of a Russian missile strike, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine 9 March 2023.
Emergency workers at the site of a Russian missile strike, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine 9 March 2023. Photograph: Gleb Garanich/Reuters

Power to Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant cut by shelling

Shelling has cut Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant off from the Ukrainian power grid, the power company Enerhoatom announced this morning.

“Today, the last line of communication between the occupied Zaporizhzhia NPP and the Ukrainian power system has been cut off. Fuel for operation remains for 10 days,” the company said in a statement.

In August last year fires caused by shelling cut the last remaining power line to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, temporarily disconnecting it from Ukraine’s National Grid for the first time in nearly 40 years of operation.

Then, it took two weeks for power to be restored to the plant.

⚡️ The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant is completely disconnected due to the russian shelling, — Enerhoatom.

Today, the last line of communication between the occupied Zaporizhzhia NPP and the Ukrainian power system has been cut off. Fuel for operation remains for 10 days. pic.twitter.com/bOcMGJ0rzg

— FLASH (@Flash_news_ua) March 9, 2023

Missile strikes in Zhytomyr have left people in the city without water, according to the mayor.

⚡️ Zhytomyr Mayor Serhii Sukhomlyn about the situation in the city after the explosion:

“There is no water supply in the morning, and there is no electricity in some houses — it is after the attack on Zhytomyr. The situation is difficult. There are no casualties.”

— FLASH (@Flash_news_ua) March 9, 2023

Air sirens are sounding in Mykolaiv, the governor, Vitalii Kim, has just said on Telegram.

Electricity supply has been cut for 15% of people in Kyiv, the mayor, Vitalii Klychko, said.

Kyiv mayor confirms another explosion, with ‘two injured’

Kyiv mayor Vitalii Klychko has confirmed that there has been another explosion in the city, this time in Svyatoshyn district. He said that there were two people injured.

“Another explosion in the capital. Svyatoshyn district. All services go to the place. Cars are burning in the yard of one of the residential buildings. The air alert continues. Stay in shelters! Two injured in Sviatoshyn district. Medics provide assistance on the spot.”

The CEO of Ukrainian power company Yasno, Serhii Kovalenko, has said that emergency power cuts have been put in place due to the mass strikes.

“Morning. Emergency blackouts are used due to the enemy attack. This is a preventive step, as you all remember,” he said.

It is currently 7.20 am in Kyiv.

‘Another explosion in Kyiv’

The Kyiv Independent reports that, according to one of its journalists, another loud explosion was heard in Kyiv a few minutes ago.

⚡️Another explosion heard in Kyiv.

A loud explosion was heard in Kyiv, as reported by a Kyiv Independent journalist.

Earlier, explosions occurred in Kyiv’s central Holosiivskyi District early in the morning of March 9, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Telegram.

— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) March 9, 2023

“This is nowhere near over,” The British Ambassador to Ukraine has just said on Twitter.

Friends and colleagues in #Kyiv woke up this morning to explosions and shaking windows. This is nowhere near over, and 🇺🇦 continues to have no choice but to push 🇷🇺back to its borders.

— Dame Melinda Simmons (@MelSimmonsFCDO) March 9, 2023

Maxim Tucker of the Times has posted a video of what he says is smoke rising from Kyiv thermo-electric power station this morning:

Smoke rising from Kyiv thermo-electric power station this morning after Russian missiles struck at cities across Ukraine, from Dnipro to Lviv. pic.twitter.com/zAjNDVqOme

— Maxim Tucker (@MaxRTucker) March 9, 2023

New Voice of Ukraine journalist Euan MacDonald said that the Kyiv explosion was “near Troyeshyna on left bank of Dnipro (there’s a heat-power plant nearby). Must have been a big bang if I heard it 10km?”

Kyiv mayor reports explosions

Kyiv’s mayor has reported that Russia has struck Kyiv during its latest mass strikes accoss Ukraine.

“Explosions in the Holosiiv district of the capital. All services follow in place. More details later,” Kyiv’s Mayor, Vitali Klitschko, said on Telegram a few minutes ago.

Reporters in Kyiv said they heard a loud explosion at around 6am. The explosions are part of a pre-dawn wave of mass strikes by Russia launched before dawn on Thursday.

Maxim Tucker of the Times posted a video of what he said was smoke rising from a thermo-electric power station in Kyiv:

Smoke rising from Kyiv thermo-electric power station this morning after Russian missiles struck at cities across Ukraine, from Dnipro to Lviv. pic.twitter.com/zAjNDVqOme

— Maxim Tucker (@MaxRTucker) March 9, 2023

Explosions were also reported in Odesa and Ukraine’s second largest city, Kharkiv, knocking out power to several areas.

Air raid sirens sounded across the country.

Ukrainian newspaper Dzerkalo Tyzhnia is also reporting an explosion in Kyiv, as well as blasts heard in the city of Sumy, and a drone spotted above the western Lviv region.

source: theguardian.com