Kyiv: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Russia of resorting to "energy terrorism", saying that the move helps Russian troops.
According to President Zelensky, a third of Ukraine's power stations have reportedly been destroyed over the past month, prompting the Ukrainian government to ask citizens to use less electricity.
In his speech on Thursday, he said that 4.5 million people are living in the dark without electricity after Russian attacks on energy installations in Ukraine.
According to the report of the British broadcasting organization BBC, in recent weeks, Russia has carried out large-scale missile and drone attacks on power installations in Ukraine.
The attacks come as officials predict the withdrawal of Russian troops from the large southern city of Kherson.
About 4.5 million customers have been temporarily cut off from power tonight, President Zielinski added.
He said Russian forces targeting energy infrastructure is a sign of its "weakness" as the Russian military has been unable to capture more ground on the front lines.
He said that resorting to energy terrorism by Russia shows the weakness of our enemy.
"They cannot defeat Ukraine on the battlefield, so they are trying to break our people like this," he said. On the other hand, Russia's Ministry of Defense has confirmed that it is targeting Ukraine's energy infrastructure.