Kyiv
\nUkrainian authorities on Friday gradually restored power, aided by the reconnection of the country\u2019s four nuclear plants, but millions of people were still in the dark after the most devastating Russian air strikes of the war.
\nPresident Volodymyr Zelenskiy pleaded with Ukrainians to use energy sparingly. \u201cIf there is electricity, this doesn\u2019t mean you can turn on several powerful electrical appliances at once,\u201d he said in an evening video address.
\nHe said 6 million people were still without power, half as many as there were in the immediate aftermath of the Russian assault on Wednesday. The attacks caused the worst damage so far in the conflict, leaving millions of people with no light, water or heat even as temperatures fell below zero.
\nNational power grid operator Ukrenergo said several hours earlier that 30% of electricity supplies were still out, and asked people to cut back on their energy use. \u201cRepairs crews are working around the clock,\u201d it said in a statement on Telegram.
\nZelenskiy went to the town of Vyshhorod just north of Kyiv on Friday to look at a four-storey building damaged by a Russian missile.
\nHe also visited one of the many emergency centres that have been set up to provide heat, water, electricity and mobile communications.
\n\u201cTogether we will be able to go through this difficult path for our country. We will overcome all challenges and we will definitely win,\u201d he said in an earlier video statement.
\nMoscow says the attacks on basic infrastructure are militarily legitimate, and that Kyiv can end the suffering of its people if it yields to Russian demands. Ukraine says attacks intended to cause civilian misery are a war crime.
\nThe European Union will step up efforts to provide Ukraine with support to restore and maintain power and heating, the head of the European Commission said.
\nRussia insists it does not target civilians in the \u201cspecial military operation\u201d it launched in late February. International human rights officials say that is difficult to reconcile with attacks on civil infrastructure.
\n\u201cMillions are being plunged into extreme hardship and appalling conditions of life,\u201d UN human rights chief Volker Turk said in a statement.
\nMoscow says it launched its operation in Ukraine to protect Russian speakers in what President Vladimir Putin has called an artificial country carved from Russian territory.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Kyiv Ukrainian authorities on Friday gradually restored power, aided by the reconnection of the country\u2019s four nuclear plants, but millions of people were still in the dark after the most devastating Russian air strikes of the war. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy pleaded with Ukrainians to use energy sparingly. \u201cIf there is electricity, this doesn\u2019t mean you […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":297725,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-297681","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n