Kherson ceasefire set to end as russian strikes leave thousands without power across ukraine

Strikes disrupt energy supplies

Zelensky said Russia attacked energy infrastructure in four regions overnight on Saturday, cutting electricity to hundreds of thousands of homes. Emergency power cuts have been introduced across Ukraine in response to repeated attacks.

In Kyiv, electricity is unavailable for most of the day, and water supplies have also been disrupted. Zelensky said Ukraine communicates its need for Patriot missiles every day to the United States, Europe and other partners, and urged them to provide more immediate aid. He thanked countries for their existing support and longer-term commitments.

Ukraine hits Russian facilities

Ukraine struck a major missile fuel producer in Russia’s Rostov region, Zelensky said. The attack caused a fire and damaged four production facilities.

Kherson truce enables evacuations

The localised ceasefire in Kherson was scheduled to end at 22:59 Ukrainian time (21:00 GMT) on Sunday. It began in the city of Oleshky, occupied by Russia since the early days of its full-scale invasion in February 2022, and was later extended across the wider region.

The truce allowed residents to leave Oleshky if they wished. People trapped in the city had faced severe shortages of food, water and electricity, and some resorted to cooking garden weeds to survive.

There were emotional reunions on Saturday between evacuees and relatives they had not seen for years. Ukraine’s human rights ombudsman, Dmytro Lubinets, said the oldest evacuee was 94 and the youngest was one.