Europe

Ukraine urges West to send more arms as Russian missiles pound power grid

Air strikes cause blackouts for hundreds of thousands of people in east and south 

Ukrainian soldiers firing a self-propelled howitzer in the Donetsk region of Ukraine. Photograph: Nicole Tung/The New York Times

Daniel McLaughlin
Sun Mar 31 2024 - 16:48

At least two people in Ukraine were killed and more than 170,000 homes left without power in Russia’s latest missile and drone strike on its power grid, as Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy again urged western allies to speed up the supply of weapons.

One person was killed in the western Lviv region and one in the eastern Kharkiv province as Russia fired 27 cruise missiles and explosive Shahed drones on Sunday at targets across Ukraine, 18 of which were shot down by air defence systems that are in danger of running low on ammunition amid daily attacks and a freeze on US military aid.

Ukraine’s biggest private energy firm, Dtek, said a blackout hit 170,000 homes in the southern Odesa region after a power station was damaged in Sunday’s strike. The company said its workers restored electricity to affected areas by early afternoon, but recent attacks by Russia have destroyed 80 per cent of its generating capacity.

Rolling blackouts were in operation in the eastern Kharkiv region due to heavy damage inflicted last week on power stations and other infrastructure.

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Mr Zelenskiy said in an Easter Sunday message that the holiday “reminds us of the strength of the spirit that will not allow darkness to win”.

”Now there is not a day or night when Russian terror does not try to break our lives. This night it was again rockets, again ‘Shaheds’ against people. But we defend ourselves, we persevere, our spirit does not give up and knows that death can be averted. Life can win,” he said.

On Saturday night, after more damaging Russian missile and drone strikes, Mr Zelenskiy thanked energy sector employees, construction workers and everyone else “who works so hard to ensure that Ukraine can live normally....in all cities and villages”.

He said: “Russian terrorists are currently carrying out such heinous attacks in an attempt to drain Ukraine’s power. We sent the necessary signals and concrete requests to all of our partners who have the necessary air defence systems and missiles.

“America, Europe, and other partners all know exactly what we need, and they all understand how critical it is to assist Ukraine in defending itself against these strikes right now. I thank all leaders who are demonstrating leadership right now, especially those who truly uphold our agreements and keep their word.”

A White House request to send $60 billion (€56bn) in fresh military aid to Ukraine has been blocked for months in Congress by Republican allies of former president Donald Trump, and European countries cannot make up the shortfall.

Russia’s defence ministry said that as a result of its strikes on Ukraine, “the operation of defence industry enterprises involved in the manufacture and repair of weapons, equipment and ammunition has been disrupted. All the goals of the strike were achieved. The designated targets were hit.”

Officials in Russia’s Belgorod region, which borders Ukraine, said 10 missiles were shot down on Sunday, and 5,000 children had been evacuated to safer areas in recent days.

Daniel McLaughlin

Daniel McLaughlin

Daniel McLaughlin is a contributor to The Irish Times from central and eastern Europe

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