Zelensky: Ukraine needs international aid to protect energy supply

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday said his country needs more international assistance to protect its energy supply from Russian attacks.

Air defence systems and the protection of energy systems are "the most important priorities in view of the Russian attacks," Zelensky said in a video message in Kyiv.

"In fact, our energy suppliers, repair teams and civil defence forces are busy every day restoring the area after the attacks," he said.

There are constant hits in the frontline areas of Chernihiv, Sumy, Kharkiv, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhya, Kherson and Mykolaiv.

Zelesnky said international support should be organized as quickly as local Ukrainian authorities are acting.

As the war enters its fourth winter, the Russian military is once again systematically shelling power stations and substations in order to destroy the Ukrainian population's supply of electricity, heating and water.

According to the utility company Ukrenergo, staggered power cuts are planned again across the country on Thursday in order to stabilize the grid.

Ukraine has been defending itself against Russia's full-scale invasion for more than three and a half years.

Moscow on Wednesday accused Ukraine of concealing the encirclement of its troops in the eastern cities of Pokrovsk and Myrnohrad.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told Russian news agencies that Ukraine had rejected a Russian proposal to allow Western journalists to visit the area, despite strong interest.

"What is being hidden in Kyiv? The desperate situation of their forces is being kept secret," Peskov said.

Ukraine's military has repeatedly denied Russian claims of encirclement in the region.

The Ukrainian HUR military intelligence service earlier reported operations by its special forces aimed at preventing the fall of Pokrovsk, a mining city that once had around 60,000 residents and has been fiercely contested for over a year.

The strategically important city is seen as a symbol of Ukrainian resistance to Russia's invasion.

The city's significance has heightened scrutiny of Kyiv military decisions. Zelensky has faced past criticism for allegedly delaying withdrawals from cities previously lost, such as Bakhmut and Avdiivka, for political reasons.

In September, Zelensky assured US President Donald Trump that the front-line situation remained stable.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has urged Kiev's leadership to make decisions in the interest of both citizens and soldiers, referring to encirclements in Pokrovsk and Kupiansk in the Kharkiv region.

The Russian Defence Ministry said its forces in Pokrovsk would continue the "elimination of encircled Ukrainian military units," while repelling attacks from Kyiv.

Russian forces were also reported to be expanding control in Myrnohrad, further tightening the encirclement of Ukrainian soldiers there.