Zelensky: One-third of Ukraine’s power stations destroyed in past week

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Tuesday that Russian missiles and strikes have knocked out power for roughly one-third of the country.

Zelensky tweeted that since Oct. 10, shelling has caused “massive blackouts across the country,” which he said amounted to a terrorist attack.

“No space left for negotiations with Putin’s regime,” the Ukrainian leader wrote.

Russian President Vladimir Putin began targeting Ukrainian cities and infrastructure with coordinated missile strikes after a truck loaded with explosives blew off a portion of the Kerch Bridge, which connects the Crimean Peninsula to the Russian mainland, earlier this month.

In the new phase of the war, Russia has not only shelled cities repeatedly but has also sent in exploding unpiloted drones.

The city of Zhytomyr, which is west of the capital Kyiv, lost power after a double missile strike targeted an energy facility on Tuesday.

In Kyiv, missile strikes damaged two power facilities and on Monday the city was bombarded by waves of exploding suicide drones.

Missile strikes and waves of suicide drones on Monday killed at least four civilians in Kyiv.

“It acts insidiously – kills civilians, hits housing, infrastructure,” Zelensky said on Telegram. “Due to the Russian missile terror in some cities and regions of Ukraine, energy workers have to limit the supply of electricity so that the entire system works stably.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.