Ukraine: Russian strikes leave hundreds of thousands without power

Walking in the darkness, armed with flashlights, the residents of Kyiv try to go about their daily lives as normally as possible. The Ukrainian capital has been struggling maintaining stable electricity, heating and running water as Russia continues to strike energy infrastructure across the country. While residents have learned to make do with rolling power and gas cuts, the plummeting temperatures and shorter days add another difficulty to an already tense situation. There is no gas in my building, this is really quite a problem because I can't cook meals on time, make tea or keep warm, especially as the cold weather is really setting in. We effectively have two to four hours of daylight that we can enjoy and use. And there's another issue. We can't even afford to invest in a generator because we simply have no money. In recent weeks, the Kremlin has been stepping up drone and missile attacks targeting the Ukrainian power grid and other infrastructure. Further east, local authorities reported on Sunday over 850,000 people in the Dnipropetrovsk and Kharkiv regions were left without electricity. Oh, for God's sake. Today, Ukraine generates more electricity than it consumes. But precisely because of Russian strikes on substations and power grids, there are very significant shortages in Kyiv and other regions. We are increasing the number of repair crews and supplying the necessary equipment. We are supplying separately. President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Moscow of intensifying strikes to put pressure on Ukraine ahead of the upcoming trilateral talks scheduled to begin on Tuesday in Abu Dhabi.