Ukraine’s attorney general’s office announced Saturday that at least 437 children have been killed and more than 837 injured as a result of Russia’s invasion.
The eastern region of Donetsk was hardest hit, with 423 children killed or injured,” the prosecutor’s office said in a statement. Officials said the numbers were not “final” as they were still verifying information from active combat zones, liberated areas and territory still held by Russian forces.
Meanwhile, Kyiv is in a “critical situation” with power shortages, with the country facing hours-long power outages, officials say, amid Russian attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure.
Heavy artillery and rocket fire have cut power to up to 40% of the country’s residents at the start of winter.
The head of Ukraine’s electricity grid said freezing temperatures are putting additional pressure on energy networks.
Volodymyr Kudrytskyi, CEO of Ukrenergo, told Ukrainian state TV:
“We understand that the enemy wants to destroy our power system in general, to cause long-term outages. We have to prepare for possible long outages, but we are currently introducing planned timetables and will do everything we can to ensure the outages are not too long.”
“The capital city of Kyiv is already facing a huge electricity deficit,” Mayor Vitaly Klitschko..
“About 1.5-2 million people – about half the city’s population – are periodically plunged into darkness as authorities switch electricity from one area to another. The situation is critical. But Russia’s efforts to make Ukraine think about resigning will fail,” the mayor of Kyiv concluded.
