Russia attacks Ukraine power plant, more than 46,000 people live in the cold, Kiev takes back village near strategic city of Pokrovsk

Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said on February 16 that Russian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) attacked and destroyed a thermal power plant in Nikolaev (Southern Ukraine) overnight, leaving 46,000 people without electricity and heating in the middle of winter.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal. (Source: Reuters)

"This is a deliberate act to leave people without heating in sub-zero weather and cause a humanitarian disaster," Mr Shmyhal wrote on Telegram.

Also on February 16, Ukraine said it had retaken the village of Pishchane near the strategic city of Pokrovsk, which Russia has been trying to capture for months, after President Volodymyr Zelensky declared his forces had made progress.

"Some counterattacks by Ukrainian forces have achieved some success. We can talk about the liberation of the village of Pishchane," regional forces spokesman Viktor Tregubov told Ukrainian television.

The announcement comes more than a month after Russia said it had captured Pishchane, about 8km southwest of Pokrovsk. The village is home to a major mine owned by Metinvest, Ukraine's largest steel producer.

“There has been a certain turn in the Pokrovsk region,” said Mr Tregubov. He admitted that this was not the first time Pishchane had changed hands, but believed “this time it seems a little more serious”.

President Zelensky said this week that the military situation around Pokrovsk had “improved,” but did not provide further details.

The recapture of Pishchane comes as Moscow claims to be making small daily advances and as Ukraine and Europe eye an upcoming summit between Russian and US leaders in Saudi Arabia.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/nga-tan-cong-nha-may-dien-ukraine-hon-46000-nguoi-song-trong-bang-gia-kiev-gianh-lai-ngoi-lang-gan-thanh-pho-chien-luoc-pokrovsk-304562.html