Nearly 3,000 Ukrainian miners have been rescued after power outages caused by Russian strikes on the country’s energy infrastructure left them trapped underground overnight.
Rescue efforts at mines in the central Dnipropetrovsk region concluded in the early hours of this morning said Oleksandr Vilkul. Vilkul is the head of the Kryvyi Rih city military administration, said in a Telegram post.
Regional head Valentyn Reznichenko said “rescue teams were able to extract nearly 3,000 miners to the surface.” He further stated that it was a “tense” night in Dnipropetrovsk.
Reznichenko said half of the region’s households have had power restored; but “blackouts will continue, to minimize the load on the power grid.”
Meanwhile, the European Union is preparing a ninth package of sanctions against Russia following Moscow’s latest barrage of strikes on Ukraine, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen told a news conference in Espoo, Finland, on Thursday.
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“We are working hard to hit Russia where it hurts to blunt even further its capacity to wage war on Ukraine…I can announce today that we are also working full speed on a ninth sanctions package,” von der Leyen added.
“We will not rest until Ukraine has prevailed over Putin and his unlawful and barbaric war,” she continued.
Western sanctions are taking their toll on Russia, particularly as the cold winter months begin.
“The mood in Moscow and the country is now extremely gloomy, quiet, intimidated, and hopeless. The planning horizon is as low as ever. People have no idea what might happen tomorrow or in a year,” said 34-year-old Lisa.
