Total blackout in major Ukrainian city – mayor

The Ukrainian city of Kharkov is experiencing a complete power outage, after a Russian bombardment of its energy infrastructure, Mayor Igor Terekhov said in a video address on Friday.

Some 20 Russian projectiles hit the city on Friday morning, he said, calling the long-range strikes “unprecedented” and the “strongest” Kharkov has seen since hostilities with Russia broke out more than two years ago.

”The city is fully without power,” he said, reporting serious problems with the water supply, heating and other utilities.

Kharkiv council member Aleksandr Skorik earlier told national television that over 700,000 people were suffering from the blackout.

Ukrainian officials and media have reported a massive Russian barrage on energy infrastructure all over the country, with Kharkov named as one of the worst-affected. The overnight operation was described by the head of energy giant Ukrenergo, Vladimir Kudtritsky, as the largest ever to hit Ukrainian power plants and the grid.

The Russian Defense Ministry said that in addition to energy infrastructure it targeted the rail network, as well as weapons depots and gathering points of Ukrainian troops and foreign mercenaries. As a result, “the operation of plants producing and repairing weapons, military vehicles and munitions has been disorganized,” the statement said.

Kharkov has an estimated population of over 1 million and is located some 30 km from the Russian border. The Ukrainian region, for which the city serves as the administrative center, is located south of Russia’s Belgorod Region. Belgorod has suffered from a series of recent Ukrainian rocket attacks, with Kiev-backed militias attempting cross-border raids in an apparent bid to disrupt last week’s presidential election.