Kiev (dpa) – At least 34 people were killed in Russian strikes across Ukraine on Thursday, including an attack on a bus in the eastern city of Kramatorsk, and drone strikes on the capital Kiev, authorities said.
The strikes also damaged energy infrastructure, causing power outages in several regions, and disrupting water supplies in parts of Kiev.
Emergency power restrictions were imposed in the capital, while further cuts were announced for Friday.
Deputy Energy Minister, Artem Nekrasov, said on Telegram that Russian shelling had caused voltage drops in the high-voltage power grid.
The resulting outages caused water supply pumps to fail in some areas of Kiev. Power supplies also collapsed in the front-line regions of Sumy, Kharkiv, Donetsk and Zaporizhzhya following Russian attacks.
Nekrasov said restoration work was under way where the security situation permitted.
Ukraine expects Russia to step up its attacks on the energy grid with the onset of winter, the fifth since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Since last winter’s widespread destruction, Ukraine has repaired some power plants and built up smaller, decentralized generation capacity. Even so, the grid is expected to face major strain during the coming winter months.
Ukrainian air defence observers say the Russian forces, are deploying drones fitted with an additional device, designed to destroy high-voltage pylons and power lines.
At least 30 people were killed and 18 injured, when a Russian strike hit a bus in Kramatorsk, Donetsk Governor Vadym Filashkin said on Telegram, sharing images of the burnt-out bus.
“These are people who were killed by the Russian army,” he said. “There is no justification for this, and there can be none.” Kramatorsk forms part of what is known as the Ukrainian “fortress belt,” which has been withstanding heavy attacks by the Russian military for months.
Filashkin called on people still remaining in the Donetsk region to flee to safer parts of Ukraine. Despite repeated evacuation appeals, many residents have refused to leave their homes and belongings behind.
Moscow has sought to bring the entire Donetsk region under Russian control as part of its war aims. Ukrainian forces are defending the area with Western military support.
At least four people were killed and 19 others injured in Russian drone attacks on Kiev, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Telegram. Thirteen of the injured were taken to hospital.
The attacks caused outages in parts of the capital’s power grid in the evening, the Energy Ministry said. The metro system in the city of 3 million briefly went down due to a voltage drop.
GNA