Kyiv, other regions set for longer-than-planned blackouts after Russia strikes

The Ukrainian capital Kyiv and four regions may have to cut electricity supplies for longer than planned after Russian strikes overnight targeting energy infrastructure, a senior official said on Thursday.

Kyrylo Tymoshenko, deputy head of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's office, said energy supplies would be significantly limited in Kyiv itself and the central regions of Kyiv, Zhytomyr and Cherkasy and the northern region of Chernihiv.

Authorities had previously said power could be shut off for four hours a day to ease the strain on the generating system as technicians worked to repair the damage.

"According to Kyrylo Tymoshenko, due to enemy attacks, the previously approved electricity shutdown schedules in these areas will not be observed, and the duration of shutdowns may exceed four hours," said a statement on Zelenskiy's website.

"We are doing everything possible, many steps are being taken to ensure that Kyiv and other cities have light, but we need to minimise the use of electricity in general," the statement cited Tymoshenko as saying.

Earlier in the day, the governor of Kyiv region said it faced a 30% deficit in power-generating capacity.

"Last night the enemy damaged the facilities of the energy infrastructure of our region. A number of critical facilities have been disabled," Oleksiy Kuleba said in a video clip on the Telegram messaging app.

Separately, the Kyiv region's military administration said the region must "prepare for emergency power outages for an indefinite period" because of the Russian strikes.