Thousands without power in freezing Ukraine as renewed Russian strikes continue
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky says more than 200 repair crews are working to restore power in Kyiv alone following widespread Russian attack targeting Ukraine's energy sector.
According to Zelensky, more than 1,100 apartment buildings in the capital are still without power. He said he had spoken to officials about measures to support communities in other affected parts of the country.
Russia has recently renewed its attacks following a week-long pause that US President Donald Trump had asked Vladimir Putin to observe as a fierce cold swept Ukraine.
Meanwhile, US, Ukrainian and Russian officials are again meeting in Abu Dhabi to discuss details of a peace plan.
"As of today, the toughest situation is in Kyiv and the region, Kharkiv and the region, Sumy region, and Poltava region," Zelensky wrote on social media on Wednesday.
"It is also difficult in other parts of central Ukraine, including Dnipro and Cherkasy regions."
He added: "In Kyiv alone, more than 200 repair crews are currently working, and according to the ministry of energy, this number will be increased to ensure proper rotation of crew members - people are exhausted."
Residents have been forced to spend the night sheltering in Kyiv's metro stations, with some pitching tents on the platforms to protect them from the freezing cold.
The authorities have been setting up centres around the city for its inhabitants to go to warm up. They are also importing more generators in order to cope with longer blackout periods as engineers try to repair damage.
In the eastern city of Kharkiv, a power plant has been damaged beyond repair.
Ukraine's Energy Minister, Denys Shmyhal, said the country's energy system would take some time to repair. This includes Kyiv's Darnytsia Combined Heat and Power (CHP) plant, which Shmyhal said had been "severely damaged".
Iryna Vovk is a psychologist who lives in Kyiv with her daughter. Her husband is away fighting.
Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Vovk said she was considering moving to her parents' village because of the problems accessing electricity and water in the city.
"Here in Kyiv, life is very awful," she said.
Asked how her daughter is coping, Vovk said she was "okay in general".
"She tries to smile and lead a normal life but it's not a normal life. She cannot study [like] normal, she cannot use online lessons."
UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said Russia's attacks on Ukraine's energy sector on Monday night - as temperatures dropped to -20C (-4F) - were "barbaric" and "particularly depraved".
He made the comments after speaking to Trump hours after Russia hit power plants and critical infrastructure in the capital, Kyiv, and elsewhere.
Trump told reporters that Putin had "kept his word" and that he would like him to end the war.
Asked whether he was disappointed with Russia's renewed attacks, Trump said, "it [the agreement] was on Sunday, and he [Putin] went from Sunday to Sunday.
"It's a lot, you know, one week, we'll take anything, because it's really, really cold over there."
The US president has been leading efforts to end the war, but his Russian counterpart has refused calls for a ceasefire.
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