Officials in east Ukraine on Sunday attributed severe blackouts that affected broad portions of the country where Kyiv's forces have been making gains in a counteroffensive to Russian strikes on crucial facilities.
The districts affected by the blackouts had pre-war populations of millions. They began after Ukrainian forces claimed to have retaken dozens of towns and villages in eastern Ukraine.
Russian soldiers reportedly "hit important infrastructure" throughout the territory and its major city, which also goes by the name Kharkiv, according to the regional governor of the Kharkiv region, where Ukrainian troops have recorded the greatest gains.
"Several towns don't have access to either water or electricity. Firefighting efforts are being made by emergency services at the affected locations, according to a statement posted on social media by Oleg Synegubov.
Dmytro Reznichenko, the governor of the Dnipropetrovsk region, similarly claimed that Russian soldiers were to blame for the blackouts that afflicted his area.
In the Dnipropetrovsk region, there are several towns and cities without power. Russian forces attacked energy infrastructure. In a statement posted online, he claimed that they couldn't accept loss on the battlefield.
At least 135 towns and villages had their access to electricity and water cut off, according to the regional administrator for the eastern Sumy area.
One of the main cities in the east that is still under Ukrainian control is affected by the cuts, according to AFP correspondents in the Donetsk area city of Kramatorsk.
Throughout the region, which has been a part of Moscow's support since 2014, its governor had also reported cuts.
