Kiev [Ukraine], November 11: Most regions of Ukraine are undergoing scheduled power outages amid a new wave of attacks on energy sites by Russian drones and missiles.
Ukrenergo, the state-run electricity transmission systems operator in Ukraine, said the blackouts will last at least until the end of Monday as repairs are conducted on infrastructure damaged over the weekend and demand remains high as the onset of winter approaches.
The Poltava and Kharkiv regions are suffering from a deficit of high-voltage capacity after damage to their power transmission lines, while the areas of Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhia, Kiev, and other central and northern regions have been affected as well.
According to Ukraine's military, Russian forces used two air-launched ballistic missiles, five surface-to-air guided missiles, and 67 drones, including those of Iranian design, during their attacks overnight into Monday.
The Ukrainian army did not report shooting down any of the missiles, but it said 52 of the drones were intercepted and the remaining 15 conducted strikes on nine locations.
Russia has maintained its attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure as United States-led diplomatic efforts to end the war make little progress. Ukraine has also been hitting Russian oil and fuel infrastructure in a stated effort to disrupt resources going to the front lines.
An explosion rocked Russia's port town of Tuapse on the Black Sea overnight after Ukrainian forces launched sea drones towards the major oil terminal and refinery in the town. No casualties were reported.
Russia's Ministry of Defence announced on Monday that four naval drones were destroyed near the port in the northeastern Black Sea.
It added that its air defences shot down six US-made HIMARS rockets and 124 fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles.
While calling for tougher sanctions and asset freezes to punish Russia, Ukraine is also looking to buy more arms.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday that Ukraine would like to order 25 Patriot air defence systems from US weapons makers as it tries to fend off Russian attacks at the brink of winter.
Zelensky acknowledged that the missile systems are expensive and such a large order could take years to manufacture. But he suggested that European countries could give their Patriots to Ukraine and await replacements, stressing that "we would not like to wait." Ukraine is also advancing with an internal drive with a stated aim of weeding out corruption in the energy sector.
The National Anti-Corruption Bureau announced on Monday that it was conducting searches in cooperation with a specialised anticorruption judicial office in premises connected to Tymur Mindich, a former business partner of the president.
Mindich, who reportedly fled before the searches, is co-owner of Zelensky's Kvartal 95 production company. The Anti-Corruption Bureau said the searches are in relation to a "high-level criminal organisation in the energy and defence sectors" that engaged in money laundering and illegal enrichment.
Source: Qatar Tribune
