Electricity supply in Ukraine's Kyiv region 'critical' after Russia attacks

Electricity supplies in the Kyiv region were at a "critical" level on Tuesday, with less than half the capital's power needs being supplied following Russian missile and drone attacks, regional officials said.

Regional governor Oleksiy Kuleba said 80% of the region was without electricity for a second day after Russian drones hit energy infrastructure around on Monday, the latest in a series of attacks on power facilities since October.

"The situation with electricity supplies remains critical," Kuleba said on the Telegram messaging platform. "I want to stress that with every shelling by the enemy, the complexity and duration of the repairs increase."

National power grid operator Ukrenergo said it could provide less than half the required consumption in the capital Kyiv. The capital's subway system was briefly stopped during the morning rush hour because the electricity supply was unstable.

"Supplies to critical infrastructure are a priority. We expect that today we will be able to turn on equipment to enable the security of supplies to be increased, reduce the capacity deficit and connect more consumers," Ukrenergo said.

If electricity is lost, water supplies, heating and mobile phone networks are usually affected. Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko said the city had been able to restore water supplies to some consumers.

The United Nations has estimated that about 50% of Ukraine's energy infrastructure has been destroyed since Russia stepped up its attacks on power facilities in October. Daily temperatures in Kyiv and the region at this time of year are below freezing.