Blackouts in Ukrainian cities as Russia launches barrage of missile strikes

Moscow targets Ukrainian energy with more than 80 missiles and drone attacks

Emergency workers put out fires in Kyiv after a Russian missile strike. Reuters

Russia pounded Ukraine overnight with more than 80 missiles, knocking out the power supply to Europe's largest nuclear plant and plunging parts of the country into darkness.

Russia said its forces had carried out the "massive retaliatory strike" on Ukrainian infrastructure in revenge for what it called a "terrorist attack" in its Bryansk region, which borders Ukraine, last week, when members of a group called the Russian Volunteer Corps staged an incursion.

Ukraine said at least six civilians were killed in the overnight attacks, which were the first sustained volley of Russian missile strikes since the middle of last month.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said infrastructure and residential buildings in 10 regions had been hit.

"The occupiers can only terrorise civilians," he said.

The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which Russian forces captured a year ago, was left depending on generators on Thursday.

A large-scale air assault damaged infrastructure that had been delivering electricity to the plant, Ukrainian state power company Energoatom said in a statement.

"The last link between the occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant and the Ukrainian power system was cut off," Energoatom said.

The fifth and sixth reactors have been shut down and electric power needed for the plant's functioning is supplied by 18 diesel generators, which have enough fuel for 10 days, the company added.

Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), issued a stark warning about the dangers of the Russian attacks near the plant on Thursday.

“How can we sit here in this room, this morning and allow this to happen?" he said.

“This cannot go on. I am astonished by the complacency. Yes, the complacency. What are we doing to prevent this from happening? We are the IAEA. We are meant to care about nuclear safety.

“Each time we are rolling a dice. And if we allow this to continue time after time then one day our luck will run out.”

Mykhailo Podolyak, an aide to the Ukrainian President, said the Russian military had launched massive missile attacks at night, while people were sleeping.

He said explosions were recorded in most regions.

"Infrastructure facilities and residential areas have been hit. ZNPP [Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant] is de-energised," Mr Podolyak said in a post on Twitter. Parts of Ukraine were without electricity and water, he tweeted.

A Russian serviceman stands guard outside the second reactor of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station in Energodar. AFP

Ukraine shot down nearly three dozen missiles fired by Russia.

"Last night, the enemy launched a massive missile attack on the critical infrastructure of Ukraine. It launched 81 missiles from different bases," Ukraine’s commander-in-chief, Gen Valery Zaluzhny, said in a statement on social media.

"Ukraine destroyed 34 cruise missiles."

The capital, Kyiv, the Black Sea port of Odesa and the second-largest city, Kharkiv, were all hit.

There were no immediate reports of casualties.

Air raid sirens sounded over Kyiv for seven hours, and Ukrainian air defences shot down drones and cruise missiles, though preliminary reports said a hypersonic missile had struck its target.

"Unfortunately, a missile of the Kinzhal type hit an infrastructure object," said Serhiy Popko, the head of Kyiv region's military administration.

Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko said explosions were registered in the south-western part of the city and rescue services were on their way. Some residents reported power cuts.

Kharkiv governor Oleg Synegubov said there had been 15 strikes on the north-eastern city that borders Russia. "The occupiers once again targeted critical infrastructure facilities."

Kharkiv mayor Igor Terekhov said "energy infrastructure" had been targeted and there were problems with electricity in some parts of the city.

The governor of Odesa region, Maksym Marchenko, said a mass missile attack had hit an energy complex in the port city, triggering power cuts.

"As a result of a mass missile strike, an energy infrastructure site was hit in the region as well as residences," Mr Marchenko said on Telegram. He said anti-aircraft units had downed some missiles and new attacks could follow.

"Fortunately, there are no casualties. Electricity restrictions are in effect."

The governor of Odesa region, Maksym Marchenko, said a mass missile attack had hit an energy c in the port city, triggering power cuts.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces continued to repel fierce assaults on the beleaguered town of Bakhmut.

The fighting there has been some of the bloodiest since the invasion of Ukraine in February last year, but so far the Russian military claims only to have taken the eastern half of the town.

"The enemy continued its attacks and has shown no sign of a letup in storming the city of Bakhmut," the General Staff of the Ukrainian armed forces said on Facebook.

"Our defenders repelled attacks on Bakhmut and on surrounding communities."

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a video address late on Wednesday that the battle for Bakhmut and the surrounding Donbas region was "our first priority".

Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the Russian mercenary group Wagner, said his fighters had captured the eastern part of Bakhmut.

"Everything east of the Bakhmutka River is completely under the control of Wagner," Mr Prigozhin said in a post on Telegram.

Iryna Vereshchuk, a deputy Ukrainian premier, said fewer than 4,000 civilians, including 38 children, out of a prewar population of 70,000 remained in Bakhmut.

Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg warned that Russia was throwing more troops into the battle and said the town may soon fall.

"They have suffered big losses, but at the same time we cannot rule out that Bakhmut may eventually fall in the coming days," said Mr Stoltenberg before a meeting of EU defence ministers in Stockholm.

At the meeting it was agreed to speed up the supply of artillery rounds and buy more shells to help Ukraine's military in the fight.