Russian attacks on Ukraine power grid touch Kyiv with blackouts ahead of peak demand

Sustained Russian attacks on Ukraine’s power grid in recent weeks have forced leaders of the war-ravaged country to institute nationwide rolling blackouts. Without adequate air defenses to counter assaults and allow for repairs, though, the shortages could still worsen as need spikes in late summer and next winter. The airstrikes targeting the grid have brought blackouts to the capital, Kyiv, which hadn’t experienced them since the first year of the war. During a trip to a destroyed power facility Tuesday, Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko said there are no quick fixes to the electricity shortages and that Ukraine is appealing to its Western allies for more air defense systems and spare parts to fix its Soviet-era plants.