Russia pounds Ukrainian energy facilities in new air strikes - Reuters

KYIV, Oct 31 (Reuters) - Russian forces pounded vigor facilities crossed Ukraine with missiles connected Monday, causing blackouts and cutting disconnected h2o supplies successful immoderate parts of the country, Ukrainian officials said.

A large hydroelectric powerfulness works astatine Kremenchuk successful cardinal Ukraine came nether attack, the determination politician said, without making wide whether it had been deed oregon damaged.

Unconfirmed reports connected societal media and section media reports suggested hydroelectric powerfulness plants had besides been attacked successful the Kyiv region, successful the confederate regions of Odesa and Zaporizhzhia, and successful the cardinal Cherkasy region.

There was nary contiguous connection connected casualties but explosions shook cities including Kyiv, wherever section officials said 350,000 apartments were near without electricity, h2o supplies were affected and mobile telephone systems were down successful immoderate areas.

The politician of Kharkiv said missiles had targeted "a captious infrastructure facility" successful the northeastern city.

"The Russian terrorists person erstwhile again launched a monolithic onslaught connected powerfulness strategy facilities successful a fig of regions of Ukraine," Kyrylo Tymoshenko, a elder authoritative successful the president's office, wrote connected the Telegram messaging app.

"Some of the missiles were changeable down by anti-aircraft defence, portion immoderate deed the target."

Hydroelectric powerfulness stations produced astir 5% of Ukraine's energy earlier Russia invaded its neighbour connected Feb. 24.

Russia has stepped up attacks connected vigor infrastructure and cities since blaming Kyiv for an detonation which damaged a span linking confederate Russia with annexed Crimea.

"Another batch of Russian missiles hits Ukraine’s captious infrastructure. Instead of warring connected the battlefield, Russia fights civilians," Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba wrote connected Twitter. "Russia does this due to the fact that it inactive has the missiles and the volition to termination Ukrainians."

Russia has denied targeting civilians but has repeatedly deed flat buildings crossed Ukraine.

Moscow has stepped up rocket attacks connected Ukraine successful caller weeks aft blaming Kyiv for an detonation which damaged an important span linking Russia with annexed Crimea.

Reporting by Pavel Polityuk; Editing by Timothy Heritage

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