Russian-Iranian denials of using rallies in Ukraine... and Brussels agrees to sanctions against Tehran

Kyiv faces widespread power cuts after Russian strikes

Municipal workers inspect the electrical network of public transport in Mykolaiv.

Reuters

Yesterday, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced that its forces continued to bomb military targets and energy sites in Ukraine during the past 24 hours, and while Ukraine was preparing for a major power outage, after the Russian attacks on the electricity grid, Moscow and Tehran denied at the United Nations that the drones used by Russia in Launching Iranian-made attacks in Ukraine, as they are accused by Kyiv and its Western allies, led by the European Union, which is preparing to impose sanctions on Tehran, because of these planes.

In detail, the Russian Defense Ministry said that its forces continued to bomb military targets and energy sites in Ukraine. The ministry added that Russian forces repelled a Ukrainian counter-attack in the southern Kherson region, where local officials appointed by Russia evacuated tens of thousands of residents.

Yesterday, Russian President Vladimir Putin visited a training center for mobilized soldiers in the Ryazan region, southeast of Moscow, according to pictures broadcast by Russian television, and this is the first time since the partial mobilization was announced, that Putin inspected on the ground training of these civilians, who were called to support the attack. Russian in Ukraine.

On a firing platform, the Russian president himself tried to use a machine gun, after lying on the ground, with a safety helmet and a black coat on his back, according to scenes broadcast by Russian television.

Meanwhile, Ukrainians faced their first nationwide blackouts yesterday as officials sought to restrict supplies to allow energy companies to repair facilities bombed in Russian air strikes.

The president's office told Ukrainians late Wednesday that they should cut electricity use from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.

No timetable for the blackouts has been announced, but major cities such as the capital Kyiv and Kharkiv in the northeast have announced restrictions on the use of electric-powered public transport.

The Sumy region in the northeast of the country, which borders Russia, announced that water and electricity services would be cut off from seven in the morning until 11 in the evening.

"We need time to repair power stations, we need a reprieve from our customers," said Volodymyr Kudretsky, the head of the company operating the electricity grid in Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the Russian air strikes had damaged up to 30% of Ukraine's power plants.

He added that three other energy facilities were attacked that day.

In his speech, Zelensky repeated calls by other officials for Ukrainians to significantly rationalize their electricity consumption, starting yesterday, according to the Kyiv Independent newspaper.

"It is very important that consumption be as conscious as possible," he said.

Zelensky and the country's top politicians held a crisis meeting to discuss emergency measures after several facilities were destroyed in the latest wave of Russian attacks on the country.

In Brussels, the European Union decided to impose sanctions on Iran, due to Russia's supplying of Iranian-made drones, which were used to launch attacks on Ukraine, according to what the Czech Presidency of the Council of the European Union said on Twitter yesterday.

The punitive measures are expected to come into effect at a later date, once they are published in the Official Journal of the European Union, which is a legal record of EU regulations.

Three individuals and one entity in the European Union will have their assets frozen and banned from traveling to the European bloc.

Sanctions against two other persons and entities will also be strengthened.

At the United Nations, the Security Council met for two hours behind closed doors on Wednesday, on the issue.

Ahead of the meeting, a US State Department spokesman said that the latter "has witnessed in recent months a lot of evidence that Russia is using these Iranian (drones) to launch ruthless and deliberate attacks against the Ukrainian population and essential civilian infrastructure."

Zelensky confirmed Wednesday that his army destroyed 233 of these drones in a month.

After the session, Russian Deputy Ambassador Dmitry Polyansky and Iranian Ambassador Amir Saeed Irwani took turns to speak before the journalists at the entrance to the council, to deny that the rallies used by Russia to launch attacks in Ukraine are Iranian.

Polyansky stressed that the rallies "used by the Russian army in Ukraine were made in Russia", and therefore have nothing to do with Iran.

The United States, France and Britain requested that this session be held, although Russia has a veto in the UN Security Council, and can therefore abort any decision that may be issued by the Council.

Ukraine has reported weeks ago that Russia launched attacks with Iranian Shahed-136 drones, drones whose warheads explode in suicide landings.

On the other hand, the European Commissioner for Crisis Management, Jans Lenardzic, announced in Kyiv yesterday that the European Union will provide Ukraine and Moldova with additional aid worth 175 million euros, and will also send anti-winter shelters to Ukraine.

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