The blackouts came amid claims by some Ukrainian officials that their troops had advanced to the Russian border in areas of Kharkiv. The bombing sparked a massive fire at a power station in the western suburbs of Kharkiv, killing at least one person and leaving Ukraine’s second-largest city without power on Sunday night. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky denounced the “deliberate and cynical missile attacks” against political targets as acts of terrorism. Several areas of Kharkiv, in northeastern Ukraine, have been hit by widespread power outages and water supply disruptions due to Russian attacks on infrastructure sites, the region’s governor said. “THE [Russian] the invaders have hit critical infrastructure in Kharkiv city and region,” wrote Olegh Synehubov on Telegram. “In many population centers there are no electricity or water supplies. Fires have broken out where these strikes have occurred and emergency crews … are containing the flames.” The blackouts come after Ukrainian forces recaptured dozens of Russian-held areas in the Kharkiv region, forcing Moscow to withdraw its troops to prevent them from being encircled, leaving behind significant amounts of weapons and ammunition. Firefighters put out a fire after a Russian rocket attack hit a power station in Kharkiv (AP) Mr Zelensky said on Twitter that Donetsk also lost power and that there were some blackouts in Zaporizhzhia, Dnipropetrovsk and Sumy regions. Valentyn Reznichenko, governor of the Dnipropetrovsk region, wrote on Telegram: “Some cities and communities are without electricity. The Russians have hit energy infrastructure. They cannot come to terms with defeats on the battlefield. We will make it. All services are up and running. We will restore everything as soon as possible.” The head of the eastern Sumy region, Dmytro Zhvytsky, said the interruptions in electricity and water supply had affected at least 135 towns and villages. Deliberate targeting of essential civilian services is a violation of international law. Karim Khan, the chief prosecutor at the International Criminal Court (ICC), has previously said he will launch an investigation into alleged war crimes committed by Russia during its invasion of Ukraine. Abandoned Russian military equipment (General Staff of the Ukrainian Army) Kiev’s recent counter-offensive to retake Russian-held areas in the Kharkiv region forced Moscow to withdraw its troops to prevent encirclement, leaving behind a significant number of weapons and ammunition in a hasty flight as the war entered its 200th year. of the day on Sunday. Ukraine’s army chief, General Valerii Zaluzhnyy, said its forces had retaken about 1,160 square miles since the counteroffensive began in early September. Kyiv said on Monday it had recaptured more than 20 towns and villages in the past 24 hours after Russia acknowledged it had abandoned Izium, its main stronghold in northeastern Ukraine. “People are crying, people are happy, of course. How could they not be happy,” said retired English teacher Zoya, 76, north of Kharkiv in the village of Zolochiv, crying as she described the months she had spent in a shelter. Nastya, 28, had left the village in April but returned last week after news of the Ukrainian advance: “I think everyone is in a great mood! It’s all over now. At least we hope it’s all over,” she said, queuing for groceries with two small children. The governor of Kharkiv’s northeastern region, Oleh Syniehubov, claimed that in “certain areas”, Ukrainian troops pushed invading Russian troops back across the border. “In some areas of the front, our defenders reached the state border with the Russian Federation,” he said. Meanwhile, a Russian official in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region, Vitaly Gadchev, said “about 5,000” civilians had been evacuated to Russia. Gadchev said “the situation is getting more difficult by the hour,” adding that the border with Russia’s Belgorod region is now closed. The UK Ministry of Defense said on Twitter: “Over the past 24 hours, Ukrainian forces have continued to make significant gains in the Kharkiv region. Russia has likely withdrawn units from the area, but fighting continues around the strategically important cities of Kupiansk and Izium.” A jubilant Mr Zelensky mocked Moscow in a video speech on Saturday night, saying “the Russian army these days is showing its best, showing its back”.
