Ukrainian official: Five people were injured in the Russian attack on Bilozerka

Ukraine's electricity supply is under control despite a series of Russian attacks on electricity generation infrastructure and there is no need to panic, the Ministry of Energy announced today.

Russian missile strikes destroyed almost half of Ukraine's energy system, and the authorities in Kiev announced yesterday that a complete shutdown of the capital's electrical network is possible, reports Reuters. 

"Denying the panic statements spread by social networks and online media, we assure you that the situation with energy supply is difficult, but under control," the statement of the Ministry of Energy states.

Authorities across the country have scheduled blackouts to help with repairs, it said, urging families to cut energy use by at least 25 percent.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky last month accused Russia of trying to destabilize the country by forcing millions to flee west, creating a refugee crisis for the European Union.

Five people were injured in the Russian attack on a humanitarian station in the south of Ukraine, announced the deputy head of the presidential administration of Ukraine, Kirill Tymoshenko.

The attack took place in the town of Bilozerka, west of Kherson, Tymoshenko said, as reported by Reuters.

Ukrainian troops took over Bilozerka from Russian forces last Sunday.

The head of Ukraine's largest private energy company Maksim Timchenko said today that residents should consider leaving the country to reduce demand on the country's electricity grid.

"If they can find an alternative place to stay for about three or four months, that will be of great help to the system," DTEK's chief executive told the BBC.

Russian attacks have damaged nearly half of Ukraine's energy system. Millions of people are without electricity due to the drop in temperature during the winter.

Earlier this week, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov suggested the strikes were a "consequence" of Ukraine's refusal to negotiate with Russia. Several Western leaders have said that targeting civilian infrastructure is a war crime.

The Timchenko company, which provides more than a quarter of Ukraine's electricity, says the system is becoming less reliable with each Russian attack, and reducing electricity consumption is key to maintaining it.

The damaged energy system is unable to produce enough electricity to meet current needs, so any way to reduce consumption, including leaving the country, should be seen as helping Ukraine win the war against Russia, Timchenko explained.

"If you spend less, then hospitals with injured soldiers will have a guaranteed supply of electricity. By using less electricity or leaving, you contribute to other people," he said.

Britain will provide Ukraine with a 50 million pound ($59,4 million) air defense package, including anti-aircraft guns and technology to counter drones supplied by Iran, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said during his first trip to Kiev.

"Today we are providing new air defenses, including anti-aircraft guns, radars and anti-drone equipment, and are stepping up humanitarian support for the cold, hard winter ahead," Sunak said in a statement, as reported by Reuters. 

The new British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak visited Kyiv for the first time, during which he promised to continue his strong support for Ukraine, which was the focus of his predecessors' policies.

"Britain knows what it means to fight for freedom," Sunak said on Twitter. "We are with you until the end".

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky released a video of the meeting between the two in Kiev, reports Reuters.

"With friends like you, we are confident of our victory. Both nations know what it means to stand up for freedom," Zelensky wrote on Twitter.

The Spanish government announced today that it is sending 14 new generators to Ukraine, for places where, due to Russian attacks on the energy infrastructure, many Ukrainians were left without electricity and hot water before the coming winter.

"Today we sent a new shipment of 14 generators, bearing in mind the winter that is predicted to be very harsh and very difficult in Ukraine," Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said on the sidelines of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly in Madrid.

Yesterday, the Ukrainian government asked for additional help from the EU, estimating that around half of the country's energy infrastructure has been put out of action due to major Russian strikes since early October. The first snow fell in the country on Thursday.

Madrid already announced on October 19 that it will send five generators to Ukraine.

Spain will also send an additional 30 ambulances as well as police reinforcements to help Ukrainian authorities investigate possible war crimes on its territory, the Spanish minister said.

Today, Russia condemned the "provocative" decision of Warsaw, which refused to allow Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to enter its territory for a ministerial meeting of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).

"Poland's decision is provocative and unprecedented," the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced.

"Not only is Warsaw discredited in this way, but it causes irreparable damage to the authority of the entire Organization," the statement said.

Poland, which is organizing the OSCE ministerial meeting at the beginning of December, announced yesterday that it refused Lavrov's arrival on its territory.

"We expect the Russian Federation to choose the members of its delegation in accordance with the current regulations," a source from the Polish OSCE presidency told AFP. Poland is the chairman of that organization this year.

According to that source, the Russian delegation should not include persons against whom the EU imposed sanctions after the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, including Sergei Lavrov.

"These destructive Polish decisions ... are pushing the OSCE towards the abyss," the Russian ministry said, accusing the international organization of turning into a field for "anti-Russian exercises."

The meeting of 57 OSCE foreign ministers will be held on December 1 and 2 in Lodz, in the center of Poland.

The Russian delegation will be led by the Russian ambassador to the OSCE, Alexander Lukashevich, according to Moscow.

Founded in 1975 in the middle of the Cold War to promote East-West dialogue, the OSCE is based in Vienna, Austria.

The organization's annual ministerial meeting, which Lavrov usually attends, is a central event and an opportunity for ministers to discuss the work of the OSCE in all spheres of activity.

War in Ukraine - 269th day. 

Ukraine's capital Kiev, the area around the port of Odessa, as well as more than ten other regions are struggling with power shortages after continuous Russian attacks on energy infrastructure, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

"The situation with the supply of electricity is difficult in 17 regions, as well as in the capital," Zelensky said in a video address at night, Reuters reported.

As he said, the situation is very difficult in the region of Kyiv, as well as in the city itself, then in the region of Odessa and the area of ​​Vinnytsia and Ternopil in the west and southwest of Ukraine.

Previously, the city authorities in Kyiv warned that a complete shutdown of the power grid in the capital is possible, and Ukrainian Prime Minister Denis Shmyhal said that almost half of the country's energy system was disabled due to Russian attacks.