<div style="text-align: justify; "><span style="font-size: 1rem;"><b>Russia has launched a "new massive strike" targeting Ukraine's energy grid, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said.</b></span><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">He said the attacks were on a "very wide" scale, hitting Ukraine's regions in the west, centre, south and east.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Nearly 1.5 million households were without electricity, Kyiv said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">But Mr Zelensky said most of the Russian missiles and drones were being shot down, and such strikes would not stop a Ukrainian military advance.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Almost a third of Ukraine's power stations and other energy-generating facilities have been destroyed in a wave of air strikes since Monday last week.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The areas targeted by the latest attacks include the Cherkasy region, south-east of the capital Kyiv, and the city of Khmelnytskyi, further west.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Air strikes and power disruptions were also reported from Odesa in the south to Rivne and Lutsk in the north-west. AFP</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">bnbd24/kh</div>