All of Ukraine’s power plants have been damaged by Russian attacks, but the country’s energy system continues to function thanks to the efforts of energy workers, physical protection of facilities and support from air defence partners, President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
Speaking at the Munich Security Conference, Zelensky said that despite extensive destruction to energy infrastructure, Ukraine is still generating electricity.
“We continue to produce electricity thanks to our people. And we have preserved our system thanks to the physical protection of our facilities and everyone who helps us with air defence,” he said.
Zelensky warned that one of the most critical moments comes when air defence units are forced to expend all available missiles to repel massive Russian attacks, while resupply is delayed despite intelligence warnings of further strikes.
He noted that during one of the most recent large-scale attacks, Ukraine used air defence missiles that had arrived only days earlier, underscoring the constant and urgent need for additional air defence supplies.
An overnight Russian drone strike on Odesa set a residential building on fire and killed a woman inside, the governor of the southern Ukrainian region said on Saturday morning.
Russian forces attacked the area with strike drones, hitting a one-story private home in the city. The impact damaged the roof and sparked a fire, which emergency crews quickly extinguished. During search and rescue operations, responders later discovered the body of a woman beneath the rubble.
Odesa Regional Military Administration head Oleh Kiper confirmed the fatality, saying the victim was killed as a result of the drone strike. Odesa Military Administration chief Serhii Lysak added that the woman was born in 1950 and was found trapped under the debris of the destroyed house.
The latest deadly attacks come as US and European leaders, diplomats and defence chiefs gather for a high-powered summit in Munich, with how to end the war in Ukraine top of mind.