According to the president, it will take several days to restore the electricity supply.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyi notes that now more than one and a half million people in Odesa region remain without electricity.

“The key for today is energy. The situation in Odesa region is very difficult. After the night strike by Iranian drones, Odesa and other cities and villages of the region are in the dark. Currently, more than 1.5 million people in Odesa region are without electricity. Only critical infrastructure is connected And to the extent that it is possible, the supply of electricity,” the head of state emphasized in his video message.

He noted that, in general, Russian terrorists used 15 Shaheds against Odesa region – in just one night on Saturday.

“This is Russia’s real attitude towards Odessa, its attitude towards Odesa residents – deliberate bullying, a deliberate attempt to cause a disaster in the city. Our defenders of the sky managed to shoot down 10 drones out of 15,” Zelenskyy said.

The President emphasized that energy workers, repair crews and regional authorities are all working non-stop to restore the lights.

“Unfortunately, the hits were critical, so it takes more than just time to restore electricity… It doesn’t take an hour, unfortunately, but several days. We will do everything to speed up the restoration,” the head of state assured.

Zelensky called on residents, while repairs are underway, to help their acquaintances, neighbors and elderly people in Odesa find and use “Points of Invincibility” to keep warm, charge equipment and use communication.

Russian attacks on the Ukrainian energy system: the situation in Odesa

As reported, since October, Russian troops began to regularly attack Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. During these two months, the Russian Federation has carried out eight massive missile strikes in total on Ukraine. Ukrenergo said that Russia had launched more than 1,000 heavy missiles and drones.

In particular, on the night of December 10, Russian invaders launched 15 Iranian-made Shahed-136/131 kamikaze drones in southern Ukraine. Air defense forces shot down 10 drones over Kherson, Mykolaiv and Odesa regions.

However, the drones got into the energy infrastructure facilities in the Odesa region, causing significant destruction and leaving thousands of consumers without electricity.