Power, Heating, and Water Supply Cut Off in Southern Ukrainian City of Odesa
NYT: Largest Airstrike on Odesa Since Outbreak of War
Russia launched airstrikes on Odesa, a key port city in southern Ukraine, causing blackouts and disrupting heating and other utilities, resulting in inconvenience for more than one million households.
According to major foreign media outlets such as the BBC and CNN on December 13 (local time), Ukrainian authorities announced that Russian attacks targeting energy and industrial infrastructure in several southern regions of Ukraine from the previous night into the early morning led to power, heating, and water supply outages in most areas of Odesa.
The New York Times reported that this was the largest airstrike targeting Odesa since the outbreak of the war. More than one million households suffered power outages, although no fatalities were reported.
In addition to Odesa, Russian attacks continued in various parts of Ukraine, including nearby Mykolaiv, Kherson, and northern Chernihiv, resulting in at least five people injured and further blackouts.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that Russia carried out airstrikes overnight using more than 450 drones and over 30 missiles.
President Zelensky criticized, "Now everyone must know what Russia is doing," adding, "These acts of terror and all attacks targeting our people are not intended to end the war."
It has been determined that Russia used weapons including Kinzhal hypersonic missiles in this attack, striking Ukrainian industrial and energy facilities. These missiles are known to be difficult to intercept due to their ability to change trajectory mid-flight.
This attack occurred ahead of a meeting between delegations from the United States, Ukraine, and Europe. Steve Witkoff, special envoy of U.S. President Donald Trump, is scheduled to meet with President Zelensky and European officials in Berlin, Germany, to discuss a possible end to the war.
At the same time, the attack took place just hours after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss a ceasefire in Ukraine.
According to the Turkish presidential office, President Erdogan met with President Putin in Turkmenistan and emphasized that a limited ceasefire targeting energy facilities and ports could be beneficial and could serve as a first step toward broader peace negotiations.
Turkey has sought to mediate a ceasefire to ensure the safety of Black Sea shipping routes, which are vital to its national interests. However, this Russian attack resulted in damage to three Turkish-owned ships that were transporting grain.
Oleksiy Kuleba, Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister for Restoration, called for a clear international response to the attacks on civilian ports, including strengthening maritime transport and increasing pressure on Russia.
Meanwhile, the Russian attacks also caused a blackout at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, located in Russian-controlled territory within Ukraine.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) stated that military activity affecting the Zaporizhzhia power grid temporarily cut off external power supply, but it has now been restored.
Although the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant is not currently operational, it still requires a power supply to cool its reactors.
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