kyiv and Kherson suffer power cuts and Putin claims the support of 50,000 mobilized

This Monday, November 7, the power supply and communications in the Kherson region were partially restored. The Russian-occupied region was left without electricity and water on Sunday, as Russians and Ukrainians blamed each other for two attacks that cut off the city’s resources.

The Kakhovka hydroelectric dam, located 60 kilometers from Kherson, was damaged by a Ukrainian missile, according to the Russian occupation authorities. Located along the Dnieper River, the facility supplies water to the Crimean peninsula, annexed by Moscow in 2014.

“The light and communications in the city are partially restored after a sabotage in the power lines,” said the deputy governor of Kherson imposed by Russia, Kiril Stremoúsov, on his Telegram channel. The occupying authorities also announced the “stabilization” of the water supply.

For its part, the Ukrainian General Staff claimed that “a Ukrainian attack was carried out on a building housing up to 200 enemy soldiers” and that the Russians were “carefully concealing the consequences of this attack.”

Kherson is becoming increasingly difficult for the Russians to hold on the ground. The Ukrainians have destroyed the three bridges that allow them to cross the Dnieper River, making it difficult to supply Moscow’s forces.

This Monday, the pro-Russian authorities in the region ended the organized evacuation through the Dnieper River.

“Today the last ship from the city of Kherson left from the right bank that could carry people to the left bank,” Stremoúsov said in a video message on his Telegram channel. “We don’t recommend going back to the city,” he added.

But as Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak tweeted, Kherson residents have been forcibly evicted from their homes and Russian military officers are robbing homes.

kyiv schedules power outages to avoid total blackout

Since October 10, the Ukrainian electrical system has been severely affected by outages following Russian attacks that have hit power sites.

To avoid a complete blackout, the national operator Ukrenergo has scheduled power outages in kyiv and in several regions of Ukraine.

However, Ukrenergo on Friday announced supplementary restrictions with unforeseen emergency outages as scheduled outages are not enough to maintain the power system.

As winter approaches, the capital’s mayor, Vitali Klitschko, urged citizens to consider the “worst-case scenario” with total power, water and heating cuts. Consequently, he announced the preparation of “more than a thousand warm-up points” just in case.

“We have bought electric generators, stored water and everything necessary so that these heating points can accommodate people,” he explained. He also recommended leaving kyiv for those who have relatives outside the region.

Ukraine received new air defense systems from the West

Ukraine announced on Monday the receipt of new air defense systems from the United States, Spain and Norway, designed to defend against Russia’s massive bombardment of critical infrastructure.

“NASAMS and Aspide air defense systems have arrived in Ukraine! These weapons will greatly strengthen the Ukrainian military and make our skies safer,” Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov said on Twitter.

These deliveries follow those of Germany, France and the United Kingdom, which gave defense and anti-missile systems.

Ukrainian President Volodimír Zelensky has called on Western countries to create a “shield” to protect essential infrastructure. According to the Ukrainian authorities, Russia has destroyed about 40% of these Ukrainian facilities since the beginning of October.

On the other hand, the Ukrainian authorities will take control of five companies of strategic importance to help the war effort. Among them are the oil producer Ukrnafta and the aircraft manufacturer Motor Sich.

“The decision has been made to expropriate the assets of companies of strategic importance and make them become state property,” Ukrainian Security Council Secretary Oleksiy Danilov told a news conference.

“Hereinafter, [estos] assets are managed on behalf of the state and in the interest of the entire security sector, to meet the needs of the armed forces and the entire defense sector,” he added.

In Russia, 50,000 mobilized support combat units and deny blogger posts

According to President Vladimir Putin, 50,000 Russian soldiers called up as part of his mobilization campaign are serving in Ukraine.

The Russian president said that a total of 80,000 mobilized soldiers were “in the zone of special military operations” and that the rest of the approximately 320,000 recruits were in training camps in Russia.

Meanwhile, according to the US newspaper ‘The Wall Street Journal’, the US National Security Adviser, Jake Sullivan, would have participated in secret talks with senior advisers to Putin about the expected scenario for a nuclear attack. The White House would also be pressuring kyiv to remain open to negotiations with Russia.

The Kremlin declined to comment on the matter. “We have nothing to say about this article,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov told reporters.

“Once again, I repeat that there is true information, but that most of the others are pure speculation,” he added.

The Russian Defense Ministry has also denied reports by Russian military bloggers that the Pacific Fleet’s 155th Marine Brigade has suffered “major and senseless losses of men and equipment.” Instead, according to that ministry, the unit managed to break through 5 kilometers of Ukrainian defense lines southwest of Donetsk.

With EFE, AFP and Reuters