Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused the Kremlin of resorting to “energy terrorism” because Russian troops are making little progress on the battlefield.
Mr Zelenskiy said 4.5 million people were without power after Russian attacks on its energy network.
In recent weeks, Russia has carried out large-scale missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian power facilities.
The attacks come as officials say Russian troops are likely to withdraw from the key southern city of Kherson.
After several painful battlefield defeats, Russia has stepped up attacks on power infrastructure in cities far from the front lines in recent weeks.
According to President Zielinski, in the past month alone, a third of the country’s power stations have reportedly been destroyed.
As a result, the Ukrainian government has been forced to urge the population to try to use less energy.
“Tonight, approximately 4.5 million customers are temporarily disconnected from energy consumption,” President Zielinski said in his nightly address on Thursday.
He said Russia’s targeting of energy infrastructure is a sign of “weakness” as Russian forces fail to make much ground on the front line.
“The fact that Russia is resorting to energy terrorism shows the weakness of our enemy,” he said.
“They can’t beat Ukraine on the battlefield, so that’s how they try to break our people.”
Russia’s Defense Ministry has confirmed that it is targeting Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
Mr Zelenskiy’s accusation comes as reports emerged that Russian troops were withdrawing from the occupied city of Kherson, signaling a major retreat for Russia.
Kirill Stremosov, a Russian official stationed in the Kherson region, told Russian media that Moscow was “likely” to withdraw its troops from the area.
And according to a Western official, speaking on condition of anonymity, most Russian commanding officers have already left the city.
Instead of trying to maintain control of the city, he said, Russian troops were building defensive positions on the other side of the Dnipro River, a move to establish better defensive lines across southern and eastern Ukraine ahead of Russia’s advance. It is under action. Winter
It is difficult to know exactly what is happening inside the city, but the official said that mobilized Russian reservists had been sent into the city to cover the final retreat when it happens.
The occupying authorities have also been evacuating thousands of civilians from the area for several weeks.
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Ukrainian troops are capable of recapturing the southern city.
But Ukraine said it was still fighting in the region and would be wary if Russia was setting up a trap for Ukrainian troops.
Russia’s capture of Kherson – a major city – in March was seen as one of Moscow’s most significant achievements of the war.
But Ukraine’s retaliation in the region, which has been ongoing for more than a month, means Russia has had to reassess its battlefield objectives.
