Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has declared a state of emergency in Kyiv following successive Russian drone and missile strikes that have left thousands of homes without heat and electricity in the freezing winter conditions.
In a post on X late on Wednesday, Zelenskyy said the consequences of Russian strikes and deteriorating weather conditions are “severe”, adding that repair crews, energy companies, municipal services, and the State Emergency Service of Ukraine continue to work round the clock to restore electricity and heating.
He also ordered government officials to review curfew restrictions during the ongoing intense cold weather to alleviate the dire situation. Minimum temperatures in Kyiv have dropped to minus 19 degrees Celsius in recent days.
According to city officials, 471 apartment buildings in Kyiv remained without heat on Wednesday, nearly a week after the Russian attacks damaged critical infrastructure.
Kyiv’s Mayor, Vitali Klitschko said nearly 6,000 homes were left without heating because the “capital’s critical infrastructure was damaged by the enemy’s massive attack”.
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Both Moscow and Kyiv have targeted each other’s civilian infrastructure, particularly the energy sector since the four-year-old conflict between the two escalated of late. Both countries have launched attacks on each other’s oil refineries, gas pipelines, pumping stations, and nuclear and thermal power stations, which are powered by coal, oil, and gas.
Officials in the Russia-controlled Zaporizhzhia have accused Ukrainian armed forces of targeting civilian energy infrastructure, saying more than 3,000 people are living there without electricity in the region.
On Tuesday, a drone strike hit two oil tankers in the Black Sea, reportedly associated with the US oil giant, Chevron. The Russian Foreign Ministry accused Ukraine of targeting oil ships in the sea.
Kazakhstan’s Foreign Ministry also confirmed in a statement on Wednesday that three oil tankers, which were heading to a Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) terminal, where an oil pipeline from the Central Asian country ends, were hit in the attack.
Kazakhstan has urged the US and Europe to help secure the safe passage of oil tankers, warning that the increasing number of attacks is posing a risk to oil supply and maritime trade.
The US-proposed 20-point peace plan for Moscow and Ukraine has failed so far, with Ukraine categorically rejecting ceding land to Russia, while Moscow rejected the deployment of a peacekeeping force in Ukraine, which was a part of the arrangement.
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