Recent Russian attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure have led to widespread power outages, especially in the capital, Kyiv, where temperatures have dropped below zero degrees. The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyi, condemned “crimes against humanity” as winter approaches, the French newspaper Courrier International, cited by Rador, reports in an overview.

On Wednesday, November 23, a new flurry of Russian missiles hit Ukraine – a total of 70. Having affected the energy infrastructure, the Russian military plunged millions of Ukrainians into darkness “as the Ukrainian weather service issued a snow and ice warning,” reports the Italian newspaper La Stampa.

“With sub-zero temperatures, millions of people without electricity, without heating and without water, this is clearly a crime against humanity,” President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky criticized, speaking in a video conference before the UN Security Council.

The Ukrainian leader demanded that Russia could not vote on resolutions related to its actions. “We cannot be held hostage by an international terrorist,” he said. “Russia is doing everything possible to turn the power generator into a tool more powerful than the UN Charter.”

“The winter cold is about to become a real weapon” for Vladimir Putin, notes the New York Times. The American newspaper reminds that “the Russian shelling forced to turn off the electricity of almost all Ukrainians, who found themselves without electricity from 4 to 12 hours a day.”

According to Volodymyr Kudrytskyi, director of the Ukrainian state energy network “Ukrenergo”, “practically all the main thermal and hydroelectric power plants of the country have suffered” from Russian attacks in recent days, “Kyiv Nezalezhnyi” reports.

4000 Resistance Points

Faced with the challenge of winter, Ukraine has opened approximately 4,000 shelters on its territory, “places where residents can get water, electricity and come to get warm,” writes Süddeutsche Zeitung. “For many Ukrainians, these places can be vital for survival.”

However, these “points of resistance”, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi calls them, may not be enough for millions of people to survive the often harsh Ukrainian winter during long blackouts,” the Bavarian newspaper notes.

An exodus of part of the population this winter is “possible”, according to the Kyiv correspondent of the American public radio NPR, Greg Maire. For now, “Ukrainians want to stay where they are,” he notes. But the government is starting to talk about them being able to travel in a “limited and discreet manner.” Authorities are urging people who have left big cities “not to return this winter.” I tell them: if you have relatives in the village, it is better to stay with them where it is easier to burn wood,” he explains.

In turn, Ukraine’s allies began mobilizing to provide Ukrainians with generators. On Wednesday, the European Parliament called on European cities to donate electrical appliances. The United States has announced that it will provide Ukraine with an additional $400 million in military aid, which will include generators to help the country deal with power outages.

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