KRAMATORSK , Sep 12(ABC): Ukraine on Sunday accused Russia of causing sweeping power cuts in the east of the country, as Kyiv announced fresh gains in its counter-offensive, including the recapture of the key city of Izyum.
Ukraine s nuclear energy agency had already said the final reactor at the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia plant, Europe s largest nuclear power station and a focal point of the conflict, had been shut off as a safety measure.
Russian President Vladimir Putin meanwhile warned that Ukrainian attacks near the station could have “catastrophic consequences”.
Later Sunday, large areas of eastern Ukraine were plunged into power cuts, which Ukrainian officials blamed on Russia.
Ukraine s President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Moscow of having deliberately hit civilian infrastructure.
“A total blackout in the Kharkiv and Donetsk regions, a partial one in the Zaporizhzhia, Dnipropetrovsk and Sumy regions,” Zelensky said in a statement on social media, blaming “Russian terrorists”.
“No military facilities,” he added. “The goal is to deprive people of light and heat.”
Some districts reported that power had later been restored
The blackouts came as Ukrainian forces claimed to have recaptured dozens of towns and villages in eastern Ukraine.
The electricity cuts hit regions with an estimated combined population of nine million people — including territory controlled by Russia.
The Russian attacks were also disrupting railway services, with the national train service announcing delays throughout the east including the country s second largest city, Kharkiv.
