Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that millions of Ukrainians are suffering from power outages as a result of Russian strikes on energy facilities, and while civilians were killed amid battles in Kherson (south) and Donbass (east), Western allies are considering increasing military support for Kiev.

In his daily speech on Friday evening, Zelensky said that more than 6 million families do not have electricity, adding that power outages continue in the capital Kyiv and in most regions.

In separate statements during his inspection of a building damaged by the bombing and an emergency center north of the capital, the Ukrainian president called on his citizens to rationalize energy consumption, and promised to overcome the current difficult circumstances.

Earlier on Friday, the state electricity company said that its crews are working to restore electricity to the areas affected by the recent Russian bombing, including Kyiv, where about half of its population is still without electricity, noting that almost a third of supplies have stopped.

The situation worsened after the Russian strikes that targeted several regions last Wednesday, including Kyiv, and were described as the worst ever targeting energy facilities, and millions of Ukrainians are now deprived of water and heating in light of the very cold weather.

To counter this situation, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced that the European Union would provide support to Ukraine in order to restore electricity and heating.


Fatalities and battles

In field developments, 15 civilians were killed as a result of a Russian bombing that targeted the city of Kherson in southern Ukraine on Friday, according to local authorities who talked about the evacuation of patients from the city's hospitals.

This shelling comes while the Al-Jazeera correspondent reported the continuation of fighting between the Ukrainian and Russian forces on both sides of the Dnipro River in Kherson, which was recently recovered by the Ukrainian army.

In the Donbass region in the east, the Ukrainian Staff Command announced that it had repulsed 12 advance attempts by Russian forces in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

Amid the ongoing battles, Kyiv and Moscow exchanged accusations about targeting civilians and not wanting a peaceful settlement.

In the context, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov considered the statements of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky of his country's intention to restore Crimea - which Russia annexed to it in 2014 - as indicating Kyiv's unwillingness to solve problems by peaceful means.

Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin said during a meeting with the mothers of dead Russian soldiers in Ukraine that Moscow will achieve its goals from the military operation.

Stoltenberg said that NATO will continue to support Ukraine no matter how long it takes (Anadolu Agency)

military support

On the other hand, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Friday that the idea of ​​sending Patriot air defense systems to Ukraine was before Warsaw, and that the decision must be approved by specific countries and subject to consultations among NATO members.

Stoltenberg added - in a press conference in Brussels before the NATO foreign ministers' meeting in Bucharest next week - that NATO will continue to support Kiev no matter how long it takes, stressing that supporting Ukraine is the best way to achieve a peaceful solution to the war.

The Secretary-General of NATO confirmed that the allies are providing military and non-military support to Ukraine in an unprecedented way, and that he will request more of this support for Kiev during the meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Romania, next week.

In the context, British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said during his meeting with the Ukrainian President in Kyiv on Friday that Britain provides its support with deeds, not just words.

In Berlin, a spokesman for the German government said that his country was discussing with the allies Poland's request to supply Ukraine with the units of the Patriot air defense system that were intended for it.

For his part, a spokesman for the German Ministry of Defense said that the offer made to Poland to deploy Patriot batteries on its territory and conduct patrols for German fighters in its airspace is still valid.

The High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, said that European military support to Kiev must continue.