<div><span style="font-size: 1rem;">Over 1.5 million people were without power in the southern Ukrainian city of Odessa on Saturday after a night attack by Russian "kamikaze drones", President Volodymyr Zelensky said.</span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The region's energy authority warned that repairs after the Friday strikes would take weeks, perhaps up to three months.</div><div><br></div><div>"After the night strike by Iranian drones, Odessa and other cities and villages of the region are in darkness," Zelensky said.</div><div><br></div><div>"As of now, more than one and a half million people in Odessa region are without electricity."</div><div><br></div><div>Kyrylo Tymoshenko, deputy head of the presidential administration, said only critical infrastructure including hospitals and maternity wards had access to electricity.</div><div><br></div><div>"The situation remains difficult, but is under control," Tymoshenko said.</div><div><br></div><div>The Black Sea port was a favourite holiday destination for many Ukrainians and Russians before President Vladimir Putin sent troops to pro-Western Ukraine on February 24.</div><div><br></div><div>Maksym Marchenko, the governor of the region, said Russia had attacked the city with "kamikaze drones" overnight.</div><div><br></div><div>"As a result of the strike, there is no electricity in almost all districts and communities of our region," he said.</div><div><br></div><div>Two drones were shot down by Ukrainian air defence units, Marchenko added.</div><div><br></div><div>On Friday, Kyiv said southern regions of the war-scarred country including Odessa were suffering the worst electricity outages days after the latest bout of systematic Russian assaults on the Ukrainian energy grid.</div><div><br></div><div>Russia fired dozens of cruise missiles at key infrastructure in Ukraine on Monday, piling pressure on the country's already ailing grid after repeated attacks.</div><div><br></div><div>Russia began targeting Ukraine's infrastructure following humiliating military defeats.</div><div><br></div><div>On Thursday, Putin vowed to keep battering Ukraine's energy grid despite an outcry against the attacks that have plunged millions into cold and darkness. Source: AFP&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>