Ukraine War: Zelensky Says 4.5 million Ukrainians Without Access To Power, Accuses Russia Of Unleashing "Energy Terrorism"

Accusing the Kremlin of unleashing "energy terrorism" on his country, Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, said tha 4.5 million Ukrainians were without power, as Russia continued to bombard the country's key energy infrastructure via large-scale missile and drone attacks.

"About 4.5 million consumers have been temporarily disconnected from energy consumption," President Zelensky said in his nightly address on Thursday. In just the last month, a third of the country's power stations have reportedly been destroyed, Zelensky added.

The national power-grid operator, Ukrenergo, has already imposed a rolling blackouts across the country. Ukrainians have been asked to scale back their consumption, both domestic and commercial.

He said Russia's targeting of energy infrastructure was a sign of "weakness" as Russian forces fail to make much headway on the battlefront.

"The very fact that Russia is resorting to energy terrorism shows the weakness of our enemy," he claimed.

In the days after Russian bombing, 80% of the capital city Kiev had been without water, and hundreds of thousands of homes without electricity.

Zelensky's accusation comes amid reports that Russian troops are leaving the occupied city of Kherson,