Russian attacks on Ukraine's power grid on Saturday left more than 600,000 people without electricity in the Dnipropetrovsk region in southeast Ukraine, according to electricity provider DTEK, which reported the figure on social media.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy denounced an overnight attack on the Dnipro region on Sunday morning. He said it damaged energy infrastructure and noted wider attacks across the country. "There are widespread power outages across the country," he said. "Repair work is underway in virtually every affected city and community."
Regional governor Oleksandr Hanzha said power crews are working to restore electricity, but constant Russian shelling is hampering their efforts. He said hospitals and critical infrastructure are now relying on generators.
The blackout follows shelling in the region on Nov. 3 that damaged infrastructure in an industrial region bordering active combat areas. The same day saw a wider attack across Ukraine targeting energy facilities.
The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant also lost power overnight. The International Atomic Energy Agency said on Sunday morning that the plant is relying "on emergency diesel generators for reactor cooling and other essential nuclear safety and security functions."
The attacks come as Kyiv and Moscow prepare for another round of US-brokered peace talks in Abu Dhabi next week. After the latest strikes, Zelenskyy called on international partners to tighten sanctions on Russia to limit its ability to acquire or build more missiles. "It is very important that they be synchronized across Europe and G7 jurisdictions," he said. "If the world does not have enough anti-ballistic capabilities to protect Ukrainian skies, then the missiles must be stopped on the production lines."