Russian strikes hit nine Ukrainian regions, leave thousands without power

Russian attacks across nine Ukrainian regions disrupted power supply to hundreds of thousands of households and injured at least 15 people, as concerns grow over escalating strikes on Ukraine's energy infrastructure ahead of winter.

Kyiv:  Russian attacks on nine regions of Ukraine knocked out power to hundreds of thousands of households and wounded at least 15 people, officials said Friday, as a new report showed that civilian casualties from Russia’s invasion have climbed steeply.

The latest aerial strikes on civilian targets came amid mounting fears that a sharp deterioration in relations between Ukraine and the United States this week could leave Ukraine further exposed to Russia’s escalating assaults with winter approaching.

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Meanwhile, Russia’s military chief reported to President Vladimir Putin on Friday that the military has allocated the necessary assets to press its aerial campaign against Ukraine’s energy system.

Russia’s heavy bombardment of the power grid before cold weather arrives has been an annual feature of the war, aiming to wear down Ukraine’s appetite for the fight by denying civilians heat and running water. Ukrainian officials have warned that Russia is stockpiling ballistic missiles for more attacks in the coming months.

Ukraine on Thursday abandoned a brief truce on energy-related targets that it said Moscow didn’t heed despite U.S. President Donald Trump’s demand for a ceasefire. The Kremlin said terms of an energy truce had not been set.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday attended a summit of European Union leaders who share his concerns about Russian aggression and Moscow’s wider plans on the continent. The leaders in Brussels applauded Zelenskyy when he entered the meeting room, vowed to maintain support for Ukraine and urged the U.S. to put pressure on Putin.

Trump and Zelenskyy barbs raise questions about US support

Uncertainty gripped Ukraine and Europe after Zelenskyy and Trump made cutting public remarks about each other. On Thursday, Zelenskyy said that he felt betrayed by the American president, and Trump openly declared his dislike of the Ukrainian leader, saying in an interview with Newsmax that “Zelenskyy is not a good guy for us to deal with.”

Arriving at the EU summit in Belgium, Zelenskyy thanked the 27-nation bloc for its support from what he said were “real leaders.”

“We want to end this war as (quickly) as possible,” Zelenskyy told reporters in English. “We don’t see now signals from (the) Russian side that they are ready for this, to end this war. That’s why we have to prepare for the winter.”

The tension between Trump and Zelenskyy raised the specter of further reductions in U.S. support for Ukraine’s war effort.