Almost half of Kyiv without power

KYIV, Jan 20 (AFP): An overnight Russian aerial attack left thousands of residential buildings in Kyiv without heating and water in -14C temperatures on Tuesday-another blow to a capital already reeling from strikes that have knocked out vital utilities.
The large-scale bombardment, which targeted energy facilities across the country, killed at least one person-a 50-year-old man-near Kyiv.
AFP journalists in the capital heard air raid sirens and explosions as Ukrainian air defence systems responded to the drones and missiles.
"War criminal Putin continues to wage a genocidal war against women, children and elderly," Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga wrote on social media, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
He said Russian forces had targeted energy infrastructure in at least seven regions, and urged Ukraine's allies to bolster its air defence systems.
"Putin's barbaric strike this morning is a wake up call to world leaders gathering in Davos," he said of the World Economic Forum in the Swiss resort.
"Support for the Ukrainian people is urgent. There will be no peace in Europe without a lasting peace for Ukraine."
President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russian forces had launched "a significant number of ballistic and cruise missiles" and "more than 300 attack drones".
Deputy Foreign Minister Mariana Betsa said: "Almost half of Kyiv is in blackout right now."
Zelensky, who had recently complained of slow arms deliveries, said Ukraine had received a shipment of ammunition for air defences systems just one day before the attack.
"We finally received the necessary missiles, which helped significantly," he said on social media.
The attack came around 10 days after the most significant Russian strike on Kyiv's energy grid since its invasion almost four years ago.
That strike, at dawn on January 9, left half the capital without heating and many residents without electricity for days in sub-zero temperatures.
Most of the buildings cut off on Tuesday were those affected on January 9. Schools have been closed until February and street lights dimmed in a bid to preserve energy resources.
Russia fired some 339 long-range combat drones and 34 missiles in the overnight barrage, Kyiv's air force said. "After this attack, 5,635 residential buildings are without heating," Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Telegram-about half the capital's apartment blocks.