Russia-Ukraine war latest: two killed in attack on Zaporizhzhia as Russia launches mass strikes across Ukraine

The Guardian’s Ukraine correspondent Isobel Koshiw and correspondent Lorenzo Tondo are in Mykolaiv region in the south of the country and have a report on this morning’s mass strike:

Russia appears to be carrying out another mass strike on Ukraine this morning. Strikes on critical infrastructure in Odesa and Dnipro have been confirmed by the presidential administration and the respective regional heads.

In Kyiv and Dnipro, air defence systems are working to shoot down incoming rockets, say officials. Unofficial channels are reporting the use of air defence systems in several other cities across Ukraine.

It appears to be yet another attack aimed at Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.

The head of Ukraine’s presidential administration, Andriy Yermak, said on Telegram of this morning’s attack:

The enemy thinks that he will weaken our defence with energy strikes and be able to strike in the back. This is a naive tactic of cowardly losers that we are ready for. Ukraine has already withstood extremely difficult blows of the enemy, which did not have the results that these Russian cowards were counting on. We continue to move forward. Do not ignore the air raid sirens, they will not succeed. We will crush them.

Since early October, Russia has been successfully targeting Ukraine’s energy facilities through a series of mass strikes. Earlier this month Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, said that about 40% of the country’s energy infrastructure had been destroyed.

On 15 November, Russia sent about 100 missiles into Ukraine, according to its authorities. Though almost three-quarters were stopped by Ukraines air defence systems, energy facilities in almost every region were targeted, according to Ukraines state energy company, Ukrenergo.

Ukrenergo have yet to make a full statement on the damage but described the situation as the worst so far. Emergency blackouts have been implemented across Ukraine’s northern and southern regions in an effort to stabilise the grid.

Two people were killed in a village on the Polish border as a result of the November 15 strike. Ukraines allies have said it was a Ukrainian air defense missile but Ukraine insists it was of Russian origin.

In his nightly address last night, Zelenskiy said:

Emergency and stabilisation shutdowns continue in 18 regions and in Kyiv. These [comprise of] millions of consumers. We are doing everything to restore electricity – both generation and supply. Another meeting of the Ramstein [talks] took place. The key issue [discussed] was the strengthening of our anti-aircraft and anti-missile defence. I held negotiations with the vice-president of the World Bank, who oversees our region. We discussed projects for the restoration of our infrastructure and public facilities, the work of the reconstruction fund of our country. The total volume of projects which was discussed today is billions of dollars. These are things that needs to be rebuilt now in order to guarantee a normal life for people.

If we survive this winter, and we will do it, Ukraine will definitely win this war.

Kyiv city council said two rockets and two Iranian-supplied Shahid drones were shot down over the capital, according to their Telegram. The head of Kyiv region Dmytro Kuleba is calling on residents to stay in their shelters. Rockets and drones are believed to be still in transit.

Head of Mykolaiv region Vitaliy Kim said that Iranian-supplied drones are currently flying in Mykolaiv.

Three people were injured, including a teenager, in the strike on Dnipro city, according to its mayor Borys Filatov. The Dnipro regional administration has reported that a total of five people were injured.