President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday commended the Ukrainian military, saying the nation should be “grateful to those who defend our country” amid Russian attacks and severe winter conditions.
In a video address, the president described ongoing intense battles in Donetsk and Kharkiv and “extremely challenging weather” from Kyiv in the north to Odesa in the south.
He also noted that there were power outages in 400 settlements across 10 regions.
A severe snowstorm struck the Black Sea coast on Sunday, leading to major power outages and blocking roads in central regions.
In Russia-annexed Crimea, nearly 500,000 people faced power cuts, said Oleg Kryuchkov, a senior Moscow-installed official.
Last winter, Russia targeted Ukraine’s energy infrastructure with airstrikes to exert pressure. Kyiv anticipates a similar Russian approach this winter.
Courtesy of DW