Russia destroys large energy facility in Kharkiv, mayor says

KYIV, Jan 15 (Reuters) – Russian forces destroyed a large energy facility in Ukraine’s second-biggest city Kharkiv, the mayor said on Thursday, the latest target of a winter air campaign by Moscow that has plunged millions of Ukrainians into darkness and cold.

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, a day after criticising recovery efforts in the capital Kyiv, proceeded with a drive to tackle the damage inflicted by Russian strikes, chairing a meeting aimed at securing quick decisions from regional leaders.

He said there had been new strikes on Kyiv into the evening.

PM MOVES TO DEAL WITH OUTAGES

Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko introduced measures to deal with power and heating outages, reducing overnight curfews and allowing businesses and government institutions to import more power. School holidays in Kyiv were extended until February 1.

Russia has attacked the power grid and other energy facilities while pressing a battlefield offensive that has left Kyiv on the back foot as it faces U.S. pressure to secure peace.

Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov, writing on the Telegram messaging app, did not specify what sort of facility had been hit, but said emergency crews were working around the clock.

Kharkiv, 25 km (15 miles) from the Russian border, has been regularly targeted by drones, missiles and glide bombs throughout the war, which enters its fifth year next month.

Regional Governor Oleh Syniehubov said officials were assessing the extent of damage from Thursday’s attack.

Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said the foreign and energy ministries had organised an appeal for funds to help tackle Ukraine’s energy problems, similar to periodic meetings on arms supplies. Norway, he said, had made an initial grant of $200 million.

Power outages and cuts to heating and water in cities have worsened over the past week as Ukraine struggles with a cold snap that has overwhelmed the already hobbled energy system.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Thursday that around 300 apartment buildings remained without heat after a January 9 attack knocked out heating to half the city’s high-rises.

Russia has also stepped up attacks on ports in Ukraine’s southern Odesa region. A missile strike on Thursday injured one person and damaged shipping containers in the city of Chornomorsk, said Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Kuleba.

(Reporting by Dan PeleschukEditing by Daniel Flynn, Peter Graff, Ron Popeski, Rod Nickel)