This week, blackouts have afflicted the majority of areas in Ukraine, and while the number of people affected has decreased from its height, President Zelenskyy stated that “the largest challenges” were in Kyiv.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy has criticized the mayor of Kyiv on the provision of emergency shelters, a rare display of displeasure between Ukrainian leaders since the beginning of the Russian invasion.
The president stated that boxing legend-turned-politician Vitali Klitschko had not done enough to help inhabitants of the city cope with the war’s most devastating attacks on Moscow.
This week, blackouts have afflicted the majority of Ukraine, and while the number of people affected has decreased from a height of 12 million a few days ago, Mr. Zelenskyy stated that “the worst challenges” were in Kyiv.
In his nightly video address, he stated, “Unfortunately, local governments have not done adequately in all cities.”
“Specifically, there are numerous complaints in Kyiv. To put it mildly, additional work is required.”
Mr. Zelenskyy stated that many municipal residents had been without electricity for “twenty or even thirty hours” and demanded, “greater assistance” and “better work” from the mayor’s office.
The “invincibility centers” of Ukraine
In response to Russia’s apparent opportunistic intent to inflict maximum harm on its neighbor’s energy infrastructure as winter approaches, Ukraine has begun constructing “invincibility centers.”
These are emergency shelters with access to heat, water, the internet, and cell phone coverage.
More than 4,000 have been established to date, but according to Mr. Zelenskyy, this number is insufficient in Kyiv.
Since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Vladimir Putin began in February, Mr. Klitschko, a crucial figure in the Ukrainian resistance, has not responded to his president’s criticism.
Despite the reconnection of Ukraine’s four nuclear power reactors, the national power grid operator Ukrenergo stated that its engineers are “working around the clock” to restore energy supplies, although 30% are still out.
Three are located on Ukrainian territory, while one is in Russian-held Zaporizhia. They were all back online by Friday night, 40 years after attacks forced them offline for the first time.
Putin shows no hint of retreat
The Kremlin has maintained that the attacks on Ukraine’s essential infrastructure are justifiable from a military standpoint, just as it has attempted to explain its soldiers’ actions throughout the war.
Friday, in a meeting with the mothers of Russian servicemen, Mr. Putin defended the invasion once more.
“Russia is first and foremost about its people, their culture, their customs, and their history,” he remarked.
The greatest assurance of our success is our togetherness.
While Mr. Putin was sipping tea, his Ukrainian counterpart traveled to the village of Vyshhorodm, located a short distance north of Kyiv, to see building damage and one of the new emergency centers.
President Trump met with British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, who reaffirmed continuing British support and criticized Russia’s “brutal attacks.”
It comes before Ukraine commemorates the 90th anniversary of the Holodomor famine, which the country recognizes as a genocide committed by Soviet tyrant Joseph Stalin against its people.
Historians disagree as to whether the hunger that killed millions of Ukrainians was a deliberate attempt to crush an independence movement or a bungled nationalization scheme.
Stalin ordered the confiscation of grain, animals, and seeds from Ukrainian farms.
Mr. Cleverly used his trip to Kyiv to accuse Mr. Putin of attempting to starve the Ukrainian people similarly.
