The office of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Kharkiv, Sumy, Poltava, Dnepropetrovsk and partly Donetsk regions are offline, stressing that “we are working to restore power supply for the operation of vital systems, especially hospitals.”

In turn, Zelensky pointed out that “Russia is responsible for the complete blackout in eastern Ukraine,” and added that “Russian forces attacked vital infrastructure without the presence of any military installations.”

The ministry also stressed that “Russia’s attack on infrastructure and depriving citizens of electricity and heat is a cowardly response to the flight of its forces.”

Reuters news agency reported earlier today that Kharkiv region, Ukraine’s second largest city, plunged into darkness on Sunday evening due to a power outage.

She explained that “the cause and extent of the power outage in the northeastern city was not immediately clear” and added that “there have also been unconfirmed reports on social media of power outages in other locations and regions.”