Large parts of Ukraine are blacked out tonight, after a series of Russian attacks this afternoon. In several places, including in the capital Kyiv, the water is also gone. There are also widespread power outages in the neighboring country of Moldova. Four Ukrainian nuclear power plants, Rivne, Pivdennoukrainsk, Khmelnytskji and Zaporizhzhya, are tonight disconnected from the power grid as a result of the attacks. The power plants receive emergency power via diesel generators. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj has asked for – and received – an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council, which started at 10 p.m. Norwegian time. He participates in the meeting via video link. Zelenskyj characterized Wednesday’s attack on civilian infrastructure as pure terror against civilians. Millions of people have lost power in Ukraine after Russian rocket attacks on Wednesday. – Will confront Russia Before she entered the Security Council meeting, Norway’s UN ambassador Mona Juul said that she would “confront Russia and again emphasize the necessity that this terrible war must stop”. Formally, it was the United States and Albania that requested the Security Council meeting. Both countries’ UN ambassadors strongly distanced themselves from what they said were targeted attacks on civilians, pointing in particular to the bombing of a maternity ward where a newborn child was killed. Albania’s ambassador said Russia was a state sponsor of terror. The US ambassador to the UN pointed to “crushing consequences” for the civilian population, which she called “shameful”. She also pointed out that the attacks on the electricity supply increase the risk of a nuclear accident. Power outage in Kyiv after rocket attack. Photo: STRINGER / Reuters – Could be a violation of humanitarian law The Ukrainian defense says Russia fired 67 rockets at Ukraine on Wednesday. They say 51 of them were shot down by Ukrainian air defenses. – It is important that Russia’s reckless and cynical attacks are put on the agenda. We condemn these attacks in the strongest possible terms. I am concerned, because there are attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure, and may be a violation of humanitarian law, says Foreign Minister Anikken Huitfeldt. Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeldt wants Russia to be held accountable in the UN Security Council. Photo: JOHN MACDOUGALL / AFP The attacks triggered emergency procedures at the Khmelnytskji power plant, the Pivdennoukrainsk power plant and the power plant in Rivne. The three Ukrainian nuclear power plants that are still under Ukrainian control were disconnected from the power grid after the Russian attacks. – There are attacks on electricity and water supplies and people do not get electricity, starve and fall ill. It affects children in particular, so it is a completely cruel situation for people in Ukraine, says the foreign minister. – What specifically can the UN Security Council do tonight? – On several occasions, Russia has blocked any statements from the Security Council because they have veto power. But what they cannot prevent is that the council discusses these questions and gets all sides covered. It is important that Russia is held accountable, and we do that by putting this on the agenda, says Huitfeldt. Darkness in Kyiv after today’s Russian attack. Photo: STRINGER / Reuters Ukrainian attack in Luhansk On Wednesday evening, Reuters reports that around 50 Russian soldiers are said to have been killed and up to 50 others injured in a Ukrainian attack against a Russian ammunition depot in the east of the Luhansk region. The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces stated this on Facebook without giving details about when and how the attack was carried out. This is information that has not been confirmed from other sources. The same applies to another Ukrainian attack, further south in the Zaporizhzhya region, where up to 15 Russian soldiers are said to have been killed and around 20 injured. Rescuers try to put out a fire after one of the attacks in Kyiv on Wednesday afternoon. Photo: Andrew Kravchenko / AP Three killed in Kyiv The UN has documented that 6,965 civilians have been killed in Ukraine since Russia attacked the country on 24 February and until 20 November. Among them are 415 children. The real figures are probably much higher. In recent weeks, Russia has attacked Ukrainian infrastructure a number of times. Civilians carry a person after the attacks against Kyiv this afternoon. The photo was shared by the police in Kyiv, via AP. Photo: AP In the capital Kyiv, three people were killed and six injured in today’s attack, according to rescue teams in the city. Kyiv’s mayor Vitaly Klitschko says the attacks hit the infrastructure hard. He also says that the water supply in the city has also been stopped due to the attacks. The mayor has previously said Kyiv must be prepared that this could be the worst winter since World War II. Kyiv Mayor Vitaly Klitschko says the city must be prepared for its worst winter since World War II. Photo: John Leicester / AP Fears the winter cold The city of Lviv, in western Ukraine, has also been subjected to attacks. According to the mayor, the city is completely without electricity. Hotel receptionist Marta lights the corridors of a hotel in the city. She says that she dreads winter. – We are getting used to this. But I am very afraid of darkness, cold and what the winter will be like, she says to news. Marta lights a candle in the hotel she works at in Lviv. The entire city is without electricity following the attacks today. Photo: Andras D.Hajdu / Andras D.Hajdu The state-owned electricity company Ukrenergo says all the country’s regions will experience power cuts in the coming days. Neighboring country hit Ukraine’s neighboring country Moldova has also lost power after the attacks in Ukraine. – As a result of Russia’s attack on the Ukrainian energy system, during the last hour we have had massive power outages throughout the country, writes the country’s Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Spinu on Facebook according to AFP. According to Spinu, the national grid operator Moldelectrica is working to restore the power supply, writes NTB. Earlier this month, the country was also affected by power cuts due to attacks against the neighboring country.
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– Russian attacks are pure terror against civilians – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
