Live Ukraine: Russia attacks energy facilities across Ukraine, including Kyiv

06:21

Russia is attacking energy facilities across Ukraine, including Kyiv

Russia carried out air strikes in several Ukrainian regions last night. According to the Ukrainian Energy Minister, the attacks targeted energy facilities in the cities of Kyiv, Poltava and Lviv, and elsewhere in the country.

Governors of various regions report damage and fire, but no injuries or deaths. DTEK, Ukraine’s largest private electricity company, reports serious damage to equipment at three power plants. “Energy engineers are currently working to eliminate the effects of the attack,” the company wrote on Telegram.

The Ukrainian army reports that air defense systems in Kyiv and the western Ukrainian city of Lviv, among others, were activated. (AP)

11:59 PM, Yesterday

Welcome to this live blog

This was the most important news about the war in Ukraine on Tuesday, May 7:

• The Ukrainian security service SBOe has arrested two Ukrainian colonels suspected of involvement in a plot to assassinate President Volodymyr Zelensky. The two are said to have leaked information to the Russian secret service FSB. The suspects were part of the State Security Department, an organization responsible, among other things, for the protection of the president.

• Italy does not give Ukraine permission to deploy Italian weapons beyond its own borders. This is what Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani told the Ansa news agency. “All the military equipment we send is intended for use within Ukraine,” Tajani said. Italy has provided Ukraine with around one billion euros in military aid since the start of the Russian invasion.

• Romanian President Klaus Iohannis ‘opens to discussion’ about supplying a Romanian Patriot system to Ukraine. Ukraine is in urgent need of strengthening its air defenses and has asked its Western ally for seven Patriot systems. For now, only Germany has promised one.

Read Tuesday’s full live blog here.