Vladimir Putin says he speaks to soldiers in Ukraine on the phone
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Vladimir Putin’s forces are bombarding the key city of Kherson – territory they lost to Ukraine two weeks ago – forcing Ukrainian authorities to evacuate hospitals in the area.
The incessant shelling of Kherson by Russia has killed 15 people and injured another 35 in the last six days, possibly signalling Moscow’s intention not to give up on the strategically important city.
It comes as an estimated six million remained without electricity across the besieged country, with night-time temperatures now dipping well below 0C.
Volodymyr Zelensky has asked Ukrainians to use energy sparingly and called it a “key task” of the coming week.
“If there is electricity, this doesn’t mean you can turn on several powerful electrical appliances at once,” Mr Zelensky said.
The wartime president asked Ukrainians to “consume electricity sparingly in all regions, as before”.
Most of the problems are currently in the capital Kyiv, he said, as well as the wider region and in Odesa, Lviv, Vinnytsia and Dnipropetrovsk.
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Putin says he speaks to soldiers in Ukraine on phone
Vladimir Putin told a group of Russian mothers whose sons have been sent to fight in Ukraine that he sometimes speaks to troops on the phone.
Speaking during their meeting, Russia‘s president declared that he was “surprised” by soldiers’ moods during phone conversations.
“They give me good reason to say that they are heroes, it’s true,” he added.
Many military draftees are inexperienced with no training, and were told to procure basic items such as medical kits and flak jackets themselves.
Arpan Rai26 November 2022 04:05
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Six million left without electricity in Ukraine
At least six million Ukrainians are still without power, down by half from the immediate aftermath of Russian attacks on Ukraine on Wednesday.
“As of this evening, blackouts continue in most regions and in Kyiv. In total, more than six million subscribers. Almost 12 million subscribers were disconnected from the grid on Wednesday evening,” Mr Zelensky said in his nightly address yesterday.
Millions in Ukraine are surviving the war and now the harsh winter with no light, water or heat even as night-time temperatures fell below zero.
Ukrenergo, the national power grid operator, said 30 per cent of electricity supplies were still out, and asked people to cut back on their energy use, in a plea similar to that made by Mr Zelenksy, who called it a key task of the week.
“Please, it is necessary to consume electricity sparingly in all regions, as before. If you don’t have a power outage, it doesn’t mean the problem is over. “Please, if you have electricity, this does not mean that you can turn on several powerful electrical appliances at once,” he urged in his nightly address.
Arpan Rai26 November 2022 03:56
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Good morning, welcome to our coverage of the Ukraine war on Saturday, 26 November.
Arpan Rai26 November 2022 03:32