Russia pounds power facilities around Kyiv, damages major bridge

Russian forces hammered energy ​infrastructure around Ukraine’s capital with missiles and drones overnight, straining Kyiv’s power supply ‌and heating systems as temperatures headed towards zero, officials said on Saturday.

Explosions rocked the city as Russia fired multiple waves of ballistic missiles, several of which hit and damaged the Northern Bridge across the Dnipro River, according to Mayor Vitali Klitschko.

Strikes ​on energy facilities outside Kyiv — including systems sending power from two nuclear plants to ​the city and Ukraine’s central regions — caused serious damage, the energy ministry ⁠said.

“The capital is facing serious difficulties with its electricity, water, and heat supplies,” President Volodymyr ​Zelenskyy said on X, adding that substations in five other regions were also hit.

He said Russia ​had launched 36 ballistic missiles, only four of which were intercepted, according to Ukraine’s air force. It added that air defenses had downed 149 out of 172 drones.

At least two ​people were killed and around a dozen others wounded across Ukraine in the overnight attacks, ​which also damaged homes, businesses and non-residential buildings, authorities said.

Moscow’s defense ministry said it carried out a massive ‌strike ⁠on what it described as targets in Ukraine’s military-industrial sector, as well as…

Original source: https://www.nbcnews.com/world