KYIV, Ukraine – Russia unleashed a new wave of missile strikes on energy infrastructure across Ukraine on Friday, causing power outages, restricting water supplies and prompting new calls by Kyiv for Western arms.
There was no immediate word of any deaths but Oleh Synehubov, governor of the Kharkiv region in northwestern Ukraine, said seven people had been wounded. “Russia has been striking at Ukrainian cities all night & morning,” presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak wrote on Twitter. “Enough talk & political hesitation. Only fast key decisions: long-range missiles, fighter jets, operational supplies logistics for Ukraine.”
At least three explosions shook Kyiv and the surrounding region, with officials saying air defense systems were in operation in the capital and in other parts of the country. The mayor of eastern Ukraine’s largest city, Kharkiv, confirmed an infrastructure facility there had been hit and warned of possible power outages as a result. About 150,000 people in Kharkiv were left without electricity, officials said.