Around 1,700 Kyiv apartment blocks still without heating after Russian strike

KYIV, Jan 25 (Reuters) – Around 1,700 apartment buildings in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv were still without heating following a Russian missile and drone attack earlier this week, Kyiv Mayor Vitalii Klitschko said on Sunday.

Russia launched a vast attack on Ukraine’s energy system on Saturday, rocking Kyiv with explosions overnight, leaving 1.2 million properties without power countrywide during sub-zero winter temperatures.

Moscow has sharply intensified bombardments of Ukraine’s energy system since it invaded its neighbour in 2022.

Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Kuleba said on Saturday that more than 3,200 of Kyiv’s buildings were without heating late that evening, down from 6,000 in the morning.

“Since yesterday evening, utility workers and energy companies have restored heat supply to more than 1,600 buildings. They are continuing to work to restore services to the homes of Kyiv residents,” Klitschko said on Telegram.

The large-scale attack on the Ukrainian capital took place just as Ukrainian, Russian and American negotiators were discussing options in Abu Dhabi for ending the war.

(Reporting by Pavel PolityukEditing by Bernadette Baum)