Russian Strike in Zhytomyr Strains Kyiv’s Power, Water Supply, Klitschko Says

A Russian attack on an energy facility in Zhytomyr, roughly 87 miles west of Kyiv, has worsened the capital’s power supply and reduced its water pressure, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Friday, Nov. 6, amid an escalating public dispute with President Volodymyr Zelensky over the city’s preparedness for winter.

Kyivvodokanal, the capital’s water utility, is switching power to generators at its stations wherever possible.

“Due to damage to an energy facility in Zhytomyr, the situation regarding energy supply to the capital has also deteriorated. Furthermore, the water pressure in Kyiv’s water supply system has decreased,” Klitschko said in a statement.

Vitali Bunechko, head of the Zhytomyr Regional Military Administration, confirmed the attack without identifying the targeted energy facility or providing further information on the extent of the damage.

“More detailed information about the time required for the repair work will be available later, after a professional assessment,” Bunechko said.

Western Ukraine warned it will not be spared

The strike came only a day after Prime Minister Serhii Koretskyi warned that the western regions cannot “rely on the assumption” that they will be spared in Russia’s winter campaign.

According to Koretskyi’s estimates, Russia launches 300 to 400 drones a day at critical infrastructure, along with various types of missiles, including ballistics.

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On Wednesday, Nov. 3, the government approved monthly bonuses of Hr. 30,000 ($670) for energy, utility and railway workers restoring infrastructure damaged in Russian strikes, as repair crews face the threat of the so-called double-tap attacks.

Kyiv’s water supply under repeated pressure

Friday’s disruption follows several days of interruptions to water and energy supplies in the capital.

On Thursday, Nov. 5, water outages hit all of Kyiv’s districts after the city’s water facilities lost power, a day after authorities had announced full restoration.

During a massive Russian attack on Nov. 2-3, missiles and drones knocked three DTEK thermal power plants offline. Koretskyi said energy facilities in nine regions were attacked.

The latest outage comes amid an escalating public dispute between Klitschko and Zelensky.

On Friday, Zelensky reiterated his earlier criticism, saying Kyiv faced the country’s most serious utility disruptions. He blamed both Russian strikes and the city’s personal failure to carry out its own decisions on preparing for the heating season.

Klitschko rejected the criticism by arguing that the damage across Ukraine’s interconnected energy system disrupts supply everywhere and that Kyiv cannot be singled out for the blame.

He also accused the central government of using the crisis against him, saying that “in an attempt to get rid of Klitschko by any means, by constantly creating obstacles and not helping the capital, the central government is actually destroying Kyiv.”