Kiev roiled by power cuts, bridge damaged in Russian air strikes

Kiev [Ukraine], November 8: The Ukrainian capital is grappling with severe power supply problems following a Russian missile attack, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Saturday, adding the power cut was also affecting district heating and water supplies.
Five people were injured in Russia's attack targeted energy infrastructure in the area surrounding the capital and in the neighbouring region of Zhytomyr, he said.
The attack also damaged Kiev's North Bridge over the River Dnipro, which had to be temporarily closed.
Klitschko posted a short video on the bridge showing damage to the carriageway and crash barriers. The power lines for trolleybuses were severed but repairs have already begun, he said. Kiev is divided by the Dnipro and any disruption to its bridges has a major impact on city life.
Moscow: Bridge used for military transport The Russian Ministry of Defence claimed the attack was due to the bridge also being used for Ukrainian military transport.
However, international laws of war preclude attacks on key infrastructure such as bridges. Moscow also said it attacked a factory producing the Ukrainian Flamingo cruise missiles, the Tripillia power station south of Kiev and a substation in the Zhytomyr region.
In the regional capital of Chernihiv, north of Kiev, the Russian attack led to a total power cut, Unian news agency reported, citing the city administration. Ukrainian air defences succeeded in intercepting four ballistic missiles and 149 out of 172 Russian combat drones during the night, military reports said.
Russian forces launched several waves of missile strikes on Kiev and the surrounding region during the night, with explosions heard across the Ukrainian capital, local authorities said earlier on Saturday.
Klitschko earlier reported blasts on the outskirts and said on Telegram that ballistic missiles had been deployed. Several residential buildings were damaged, while the city's military administration reported damage to a kindergarten and two people injured.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had warned shortly before the attack of fresh Russian strikes on energy facilities and bridges across the Dnipro River.
Russia has recently intensified its attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure, particularly around Kiev, leaving millions of people facing hours-long power cuts and disruptions to water supplies and heating.
Ukrainian attack on refinery in Saratov The Ukrainian military attacked the oil refinery in the Russian city of Saratov. The regional administration said several residential buildings had been damaged, Russian state news agency TASS reported.
Videos on social media, however, showed fires on the refinery site.
Reports also suggest an arms factory in Oryol, south-west of Moscow, was hit.
Ukraine has been fending off a full-scale Russian invasion since 2022.
Source: Qatar Tribune