Ukrainians urged to save electricity as missiles strike power plants and spark blackouts

Volodymyr Zelenskyy has urged Ukrainians to conserve electricity as Russian strikes devastate the country’s power supply.

“The main target of terrorists is energy,” the president said yesterday. “We are trying to bring back lights to people as soon as possible.”

More than a dozen Russian missiles struck energy facilities and other infrastructure across Ukraine on Saturday, the country’s air force said.

The strikes have caused blackouts in various regions of the country.

Mr Zelenskyy pledged that his military would improve on its already good record of downing missiles with help from its partners.

“Ukrainians are united and they know for sure that Russia has no chance of winning this war,” he added.

“Our defence forces are getting everything they need to protect the country and are moving forward every day, I emphasise, every day.”

‘Not a civilian evacuation’: Collaborators and Russians leaving Kherson, resident says

Ukraine war: Russian-installed authorities in Kherson order ‘immediate’ evacuation amid warnings of counteroffensive

Ukraine war: Life appears normal in Moscow… but a sinister undercurrent exists as Putin’s conflict drags on

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Warning to Vladimir Putin over any nuclear strike on Kyiv government buildings

Separately, President Zelenskyy also called on countries around the world to warn Russia that a nuclear strike on government buildings in the Ukrainian capital would be met with a similar attack on Moscow.

He told Canadian media: “Now we sit and hear constant calls that Russia should strike at the decision-making centre [in Ukraine].

“How should the world respond? It doesn’t matter if Ukraine is a NATO country or not. This is happening in Europe. No one is allowed to blackmail like a terrorist.”

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G7 condemns kidnap of Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant leaders

Meanwhile, the G7 group of nations has condemned Russia’s kidnapping of the leadership of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.

The plant – the largest of its kind in Europe – has been caught up in fighting during the war which has led to concerns about its physical integrity and fears of a nuclear accident.

“We condemn Russia’s repeated kidnapping of Ukrainian ZNPP leadership and staff,” G7 non-proliferation directors general said in a statement.

“We urge Russia to immediately return full control of the ZNPP to its rightful sovereign owner, Ukraine.”

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Civilians urged to evacuate occupied Kherson city as Ukrainian forces advance

Russian occupation authorities in the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson have urged civilians to leave immediately, citing what they called a tense military situation.

But in a detailed interview, one resident of Kherson told Sky News that the evacuation is not designed for them.

The Ukrainian military said it was making gains as its forces moved southward through Kherson region and that Russian forces have completely abandoned their positions in the villages of Charivne and Chkalove.

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) think tank reports that Kremlin troops are likely preparing to destroy the dam at the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant flooding and widening the Dnipro River in a bid to delay any Ukrainian advances.

Ukraine’s military says Russian leadership has moved their officer corps across the river but left newly mobilised men on the western bank of the Dnipro.

Using such inexperienced forces to conduct a delaying action could prompt a rout of Russian forces if Ukrainian troops choose to press the attack, the ISW suggested.

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