FIRE & FURY
Vengeful Putin blitzes Ukraine power stations plunging 9million into darkness as his troops flee in humiliating retreat
VLADIMIR Putin's forces blitzed Ukraine power stations and plunged nine million into darkness after his troops fled in a humiliating retreat.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the cruise missile attacks caused blackouts among multiple regions including Kharkiv and Donetsk that affected millions.
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Ukraine described the sweeping electricity cuts as an act of "revenge" after recent battlefield humiliations for the Kremlin.
It comes after reports on Saturday that Putin's forces have suffered catastrophic losses in Kharkiv - potentially turning the tide of the war.
Over the last few days, Ukrainian forces have recaptured the majority of Russian-occupied territory in the region in a lightning offensive.
Russians were running for their lives as President Vladimir Putin faced the most humiliating setback yet of his disastrous campaign.
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A furious President Zelensky also accused Moscow of deliberately hitting civilian infrastructure in the missile strikes.
In a statement on social media President Zelensky said: "No military facilities. The goal is to deprive people of light and heat."
And he went on to blame "Russian terrorists" for "a total blackout in the Kharkiv and Donetsk regions, a partial one in the Zaporizhzhia, Dnipropetrovsk and Sumy regions".
After today's attacks, officials in the Sumy, Dnipropetrovsk and Poltava regions said shortly after the electricity cut announcements that power had been restored.
Ihor Terekhov, the mayor of Kharkiv city, said work was under way to restore power and some areas reported that the electricity was back on around 1am on Monday local time.
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Terekhov said: “This is a mean and cynical revenge of the Russian aggressor for the successes of our army at the front, in particular – in the Kharkiv region. I ask everyone to keep calm.”
Ukrainian sources on social media said that their air defences "shot down nine of the 11 Kalibar and Kh-101 missiles fired in Ukraine".
While the Kremlin offensive has also disrupted railways throughout the east including Kharkiv.
And footage distributed from an attack in the city by Kyrylo Tymoshenko in the Ukrainian presidential administration showed a blaze at an industrial site, with emergency services on the scene.
Senior Ukrainian presidential aide Mykhaylo Podolyak said that among the facilities hit was the Kharkiv CHPP-5 electricity station.
Ukraine's foreign ministry spokesman Oleg Nikolenko believes that the latest Russian attacks were an "act of desperation following Russia's immense losses and retreat in eastern Ukraine."
On Saturday, Russian soldiers reportedly raised a white flag as they fled a lightning Ukrainian advance that has reclaimed large swathes of territory.
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The offensive demolished Kremlin lines and allowed Ukrainian soldiers to retake 30 towns in a key part of their country.
It enabled President Volodymyr Zelensky’s heroes to advance as much as 30 miles south of Kharkiv.
Drone footage also showed multiple Kremlin soldiers falling off a speeding tank in Kharkiv before it crashed into a tree as Ukraine advanced.
In a video address yesterday, President Zelensky said: "Our army, intelligence units and the security services are carrying out active engagements in several operational areas. They are doing so successfully.
"We are gradually taking control over new settlements. We are returning the Ukrainian flag and protection for our citizens everywhere."
In major humiliation for Vladimir Putin, the Russian defence ministry admitted its troops have been forced to withdraw from the key city of Izium in the face of the onslaught.
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However, there have been no confirmed reports that Ukraine have recaptured Izium.
Ukrainian troops also recently captured the city of Kupiansk further north, the sole railway hub supplying Russia's entire frontline across the north-east of the country.