As Russian attacks worsen Ukraine's energy woes, Trump rebukes Kyiv

"On January 9, Russia pounded Kyiv and several other cities with 242 kamikaze drones and 26 missiles, said Ukraine's Air Force, which managed to shoot down all but 16 of the drones and 18 missiles. Even so, the drones and missiles that got through to Kyiv, Cherkasy, Kirovohrad, Odesa, Dnipro, and Lviv killed four people and wounded nearly 30. The strikes left 6,000 apartment buildings and half a million people without power, heat and water in sub-freezing temperatures,"

"with January winds howling into homes whose windows were shattered. Approximately 1,000 apartment buildings in Kyiv were still without power two days later. On January 13, Russia struck again, targeting power stations and electricity substations, killing another four civilians. Emergency power cuts were introduced in Kyiv and Chernihiv, Odesa, Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhia and the Donetsk regions, the energy ministry said."

"Over the weekend, my apartment on the left bank [of the Dnipro river] had the luxury of having five hours' worth of electricity within a span of 72 hours, wrote deputy editor of the Kyiv Independent Oleksiy Sorokin. My apartment technically has heating, but it's very weak, wrote the newspaper's head of social media, Liza Nechyporuk. I bought several hot water bottles, and I use them while working and while sleeping."

"The Russians are exploiting the weather the cold snap trying to hit as many of our energy facilities as possible, said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. After the second attack, Zelenskyy declared a state of emergency for Ukraine's energy sector and set up a coordination headquarters in Kyiv for repair work."

Russian forces launched mass drone and missile strikes on Ukrainian cities, including a January 9 attack involving 242 kamikaze drones and 26 missiles. Ukraine's Air Force intercepted most incoming weapons, but strikes that penetrated defenses killed four people and wounded nearly 30. Attacks disabled or damaged thousands of apartment buildings and left about half a million people without power, heat and water amid sub-freezing temperatures. A January 13 follow-up assault targeted power stations and substations, prompting emergency power cuts across multiple regions. Authorities declared a state of emergency for the energy sector and established a Kyiv coordination headquarters for repairs.

Read at www.aljazeera.com