Zelenskiy vows to down Russian missiles as strikes destroy 40% of energy grid
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Saturday that Russia had launched strikes on infrastructure on a "very wide" scale and pledged that his military would improve on an already good record of downing missiles with help from its partners.
"The geography of this latest mass strike is very wide," Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address, citing regions in western, central and southern Ukraine.
"Of course, we do not yet have the technical ability to shoot down 100 per cent of Russian missiles and attack drones. We will gradually come to this – with the help of our partners, I'm sure. But we are already shooting down most of the cruise missiles, most of the drones," he said.
More than a dozen Russian missiles pounded critical infrastructure across Ukraine on Saturday, the Ukrainian air force said, with several regions reporting strikes on energy facilities and power outages.
The air force command earlier had said 33 missiles had been fired at Ukraine on Saturday morning, adding that 18 of them had been shot down.
Since October 10, Russia has launched devastating salvos at Ukraine's power infrastructure, which have hit at least half of its thermal power generation and up to 40 per cent of the entire system.
Shortly after daybreak on Saturday, officials in regions across Ukraine began reporting strikes on energy facilities and power outages as engineers scrambled to restore the network. Governors advised residents to stock up on water.
Parts of Kyiv suffered power cuts into the early evening. In one central area of the capital, shops were closed and traffic lights were off.
Reuters
