Russian strikes leave one million without water, heat in Ukraine

Kyiv: Russian strikes on Ukraine overnight left more than one million people in the Dnipropetrovsk region without water supplies or heating, a Ukrainian minister said Thursday, as temperatures dipped below freezing.

As in previous winters, Russia has intensified its strikes on Ukraine's energy sites, leading to heating and water outages in what Kyiv and its allies call a deliberate strategy to wear down the civilian population.

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The large-scale Russian drone attack also knocked out power in the Zaporizhzhia region, leaving thousands without electricity or heating, the state grid operator Ukrenergo said late Wednesday.

"Repair work continues in Dnipropetrovsk region to restore heat and water supply for over a million subscribers," Restoration Minister Oleksiy Kuleba wrote on social media.

The Ukrainian air force said Russia attacked with 97 drones, with 70 downed by air defence system but 27 striking various locations, without elaborating.

Dnipropetrovsk's critical energy infrastructure was damaged in the attack, according to its military head Vladyslav Gaivanenko.

"The situation is difficult. However, as soon as the security situation allows, energy workers will begin restoration work," he posted on Telegram.

In Zaporizhzhia, the electricity supply was restored to "key facilities" but most consumers were still without power, according to its governor, Ivan Fedorov.

Kyiv has responded to the long-running targeting of its energy grid with strikes on Russian oil depots and refineries, seeking to cut off Moscow's vital energy exports and trigger fuel shortages.