Russian strikes plunge millions in Ukraine into darkness

STORY: An overnight Russian bombardment on Friday (March 22) designed to keep Ukraine in darkness.

Over 150 missiles and drones were fired by Russia in the largest attack on Ukrainian energy infrastructure of the war to date leaving 1.2 million without electricity, Kyiv says.

The country's largest dam in the southern city of Zaporizhzhia engulfed in flames - though the state hydropower company said there was no risk of a breach.

Homes were also hit in the area with Zaporizhzhia's local governor telling Ukrainian television there were a number of casualties.

This local resident and her child managed to escape.

“There were a lot of explosions after the first one. There was so much flying above, one couldn’t realize. I had only one goal – to ensure that my child is alive. I rescued him from the rubble.”

The Ukrainian air force said the attacks were concentrated in the regions of Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhzhia.

Russia's defence ministry said the strikes were part of a series of revenge attacks aimed at punishing Kyiv for its earlier incursions into Russian territory and that they had taken control of the village of Myrne in Zaporizhzhia.

The strikes were a return to former tactics - Moscow regularly bombed the power grid in the first winter of the invasion.

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who has been urging the West to supply more air defenses, condemned the attack and said there was work under way to repair power supply in nine regions.

National operator UkrEnergo said the grid was receiving urgent assistance from Poland, Romania and Slovakia.

Over 700,000 of those without power are in the eastern Kharkiv region as generators keep the city running and queues formed for water and fuel.

The local supermarket's network unscathed by the attack allowing residents to stock up.

The International Atomic Energy Agency said earlier Zaporizhzhia's nuclear power plant, the largest in Europe, had lost connection to its main off-site power line, but has since been repaired.

Ukraine's largest private energy company DTEK said some of its thermal power plants had been hit as well.