Ukraine says three major regions can avoid power cuts after attacks

People use a flashlight as they enter an underground passage in Kyiv on Dec 17, 2022, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (AFP/File)

• Russia's defence ministry earlier said its forces had carried out a "massive strike" on critically important energy facilities
• Ukraine's energy minister, German Galushchenko, said Russia had hit power facilities

KYIV: Three big Ukrainian regions and the capital Kyiv will be able to avoid electricity cuts on Sunday, leading producer DTEK said on Saturday as authorities worked to repair power grids damaged by a major Russian strike.
Russia’s defense ministry earlier said its forces had carried out a “massive strike” on critically important energy facilities of Ukraine’s military-industrial complex on Friday.
DTEK said in a statement that grid operator Ukrenergo had not imposed any additional restrictions on consumption on Sunday, which meant there should be no power cuts in Kyiv and the surrounding region as well as the Odesa and Dnipro regions.
Ukraine’s energy minister, German Galushchenko, said Russia had hit power facilities in six regions with missiles and drones, causing blackouts across most of the country.
Ukraine’s armed forces said Russian forces had fired more than 100 missiles and mounted 12 air and 20 shelling attacks on Friday. It said 61 Russian cruise missiles were destroyed.
Russia has repeatedly attacked civilian infrastructure far from the front lines, leaving millions of Ukrainians without power, heat or water for days at a time in the middle of winter.