Live blog: Blackouts hit three Ukrainian regions after Russian air strikes

Friday, March 29, 2024

1427 GMT — Ukraine has imposed emergency blackouts on three regions after Russia fired dozens of missiles and drones at its power stations overnight.

National grid operator Ukrenergo said its dispatch centre was "forced to apply emergency blackout schedules in the regions of Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kirovograd until the evening".

Restrictions were already in place in the major cities of Kharkiv and Kryvyi Rih following a Russian strike last week.

"Consumers in other regions are asked to use electricity sparingly and consciously," Ukrenergo warned.

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1446 GMT — Ukraine FM wraps up visit to India, traditional Russia ally

Ukraine's foreign minister has concluded his visit to New Delhi after talks on bolstering trade and the war with Russia, India's traditional ally.

India has shied away from explicit condemnation of Russia for its attacks on Ukraine, even as it has pursued greater security ties with the United States.

But Indian foreign minister S. Jaishankar said on social media that talks with his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba had "reiterated our commitment to strengthen the overall relationship with Kiev".

"Our immediate goal is to get trade back to earlier levels," he added.

1333 GMT — Two Ukrainian hydropower plants attacked in overnight Russian strikes

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that Ukraine's Kaniv and Dnister hydropower plants were attacked in overnight Russian strikes.

"The terrorist country wants to repeat the environmental disaster in the Kherson region. But now not only Ukraine but also Moldova is under threat," Zelenskyy said on the Telegram messaging app.

1315 GMT — Ukrainian drone kills man in Russia's Belgorod

A Ukrainian drone has crashed into a multi-storey residential building in the Russian border city of Belgorod on Friday, killing a man and injuring two others, the region's governor said.

"The drone crashed into an apartment building. As a result of the explosion, unfortunately, a man was killed. Two people were injured," governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said.

1210 GMT — Moscow refuses peace parleys with Kiev under 'imposed rules'

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said that Russia will not engage in peace negotiations with Ukraine under "imposed rules."

Commenting on remarks by Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, who said all talks "must" adhere to Ukraine's "formula," Peskov told a press briefing in Moscow: "We do not accept any rules dictated by others that mandate our compliance."

He highlighted that Kuleba's statement "absolutely contradicts the ban for the President of Ukraine to negotiate with Russia put in law in Ukraine."

1208 GMT — Russia outgunning Ukraine 6-to-1: Kiev commander-in-chief

Russia is outgunning Ukrainian forces sixfold on the front lines, causing losses of troops and positions, Ukraine's recently appointed commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrsky has said in a rare interview.

"A few days ago, the enemy's advantage in terms of ammunition fired was about six to one," Syrsky told the Ukrinform news agency.

"The defence forces are now performing tasks along the entire vast front line, with little or no weapons and ammunition," he warned, saying the situation was "tense" in some areas.

1155 GMT — Ukraine warns power supply under threat amid deadly Russian attacks

Ukraine has warned that Russian air attacks were putting its electricity supply under "increasing threat", hours after strikes damaged power stations and killed at least one person.

Moscow has stepped up aerial bombardment of Ukraine in recent weeks, targeting energy infrastructure in response to deadly Ukrainian assaults on Russia's border regions.

1124 GMT — Ukraine gets $1.5B funding tranche under World Bank programme

Ukraine has received a $1.5 billion tranche of funding under a World Bank programme, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said, helping it pay for its budget and social spending as it defends itself against Russia.

Ukraine is reliant on financial aid from its Western partners but foreign financing dwindled in the first two months of this year, and a US aid package has been blocked by Republicans in Congress for months.

The new block of World Bank aid was funded by Britain and Japan, Shmyhal said.

"$984M come from Japan and $516M from the UK. The funds will cover budget spending for social and humanitarian needs and reconstruction," he wrote on X.

1121 GMT — Moscow to begin spring military draft amid mobilisation fears

Russia will begin calling up tens of thousands of soldiers next week in a conscription drive to replenish its armed forces and build up its military reserves.

Moscow says conscripts are not sent to fight in Ukraine but the draft which happens twice a year comes amid persistent rumours of a new wave of mobilisation for the Ukraine offensive.

"The spring draft will be held from April 1," deputy head of the defence ministry's mobilisation department, Rear Admiral Vladimir Tsimlyansky, said in a briefing.

1016 GMT — Romania finds possible drone fragments near Ukraine border

Romania has said that it has found possible drone fragments near its border with war-torn Ukraine.

Drone fragments have already been found in the NATO member since Russia's attacks on Ukraine began and heavy bombardments of its Danube port infrastructure.

The latest pieces were found on an island on the Danube River in Braila county, some 20 kilometres from the Ukraine border, the defence ministry said.

0752 GMT — Kiev downs 84 of 99 Russian missiles, drones launched overnight

Kiev said Russian forces had fired 99 drones and missiles into Ukraine overnight in a barrage that damaged three power stations.

"Eighty-four air targets were destroyed: 58 shaheds and 26 missiles, " the air force said in a statement, referring to Iranian-designed attack drones routinely used by Russian forces.

Russia has stepped up its air strikes on Ukraine in recent weeks, targeting energy infrastructure in particular, in response to an increase in deadly Ukrainian attacks on Russian border regions.

0615 GMT — Russia attacks three thermal plants owned by Ukrainian utility DTEK

Russia has attacked three thermal power plants of Ukraine's largest private power firm DTEK, damaging facilities," DTEK said.

"The equipment was severely damaged. After the attack ended, the power engineers promptly started to repair the damage," the company said on the Telegram messaging app.

0528 GMT — Poland scrambles planes after Russian strikes on Ukraine

Polish and allied aircraft were activated early on Friday after Russia launched missile strikes on Ukraine, the Polish Armed Forces Operational Command said.

"Polish and allied aircraft are operating in Polish airspace, which may result in increased noise levels, especially in the southeastern part of the country," the command said on social media platform X.

2358 GMT — US seeks to stop exports to 600+ defence firms with Russia ties

The US is asking American companies to stop shipping goods to more than 600 foreign parties over fears the items could be diverted to Russia for use in its assault on Ukraine, a US official said.

The Commerce Department sent letters in recent weeks to at least 20 companies with the warning, the latest effort to stymie the Russia war effort in Ukraine, a US Commerce Department official said.

The companies make and sell products found in missiles and drones recovered inside Ukraine.

"In the last several weeks, we've sent letters to more than 20 American companies, each containing a list of more than 600 foreign parties," Assistant Secretary Matthew Axelrod said at the department's annual export control conference in Washington, DC.

"In those letters, we've requested that the American companies voluntarily stop shipping to these parties due to the high risk of transhipment to Russia."

Axelrod said senior US officials in the Commerce, State and Treasury departments have also been reaching out directly to senior leaders in US companies to discuss further steps they can take to help prevent their products from ending up inside Russia.

2028 GMT — Doing everything to provide troops with more weapons: Zelenskyy

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said authorities are doing "everything" to provide weapons to Ukrainian troops.

"Today, Defence Minister Umerov made a report on the defence packages that we are getting and that we are working on with our partners," Zelenskyy has said in his nightly address.

"We are doing everything to provide our warriors with more opportunities, more weapons. And we will ensure this."

For our live updates from Thursday, March 28, click here.