Russia Says Zelenskyy Is Trying to Squeeze Funds From Europe With Blackout Drama

Russian Foreign Ministry Ambassador-at-Large on Kyiv’s War Crimes Rodion Miroshnik has accused Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelenskyy of staging a blackout during an interview with a British journalist to elicit financial sympathy from European sponsors.

Miroshnik, while speaking on his Telegram channel, alleged that Zelenskyy seems to “enjoy minor theatrical effects.”

“In the Mariinsky Palace in Kyiv, which has long been and at great expense equipped with alternative power sources, the lights suddenly went out precisely during an interview with a journalist from the British Guardian,” he said.

Russia Envoy Says Zelenskyy Is Exploiting Power Cuts for Sympathy Cash

He further pointed out that it seems the screenwriters from the [presidential] quarter have run out of ideas.

“The air raid siren was already used for Biden in Kyiv, the bomb shelter for Steinmeier in Chernigov… now suffering from a crippled energy system?!” Miroshnik said.

“It appears he is betting on squeezing a stingy financial tear from European sponsors, specifically by complaining about a blackout.”

This comes after an interview with Zelenskyy for the British publication The Guardian at the Mariinsky Palace in Kyiv on November 9, where two power outages occurred, according to a video recording released on YouTube.

The first outage happened at the very start of the conversation, with lights restored after a generator was started, allowing the interview to continue.

Later, the power went out again, and during this interruption, the conversation continued without a translator until backup power was restored.

Also Read: Putin Warns Trump of Russian Response if US Resumes Nuclear Tests

After the incident, Zelenskyy smiled and commented on the situation to journalist Luke Harding, noting that such power outages are a normal part of life in Kyiv and across the country.

“These are our living conditions. It’s normal. We have power fluctuations in Kyiv, just like everywhere else,” he said.

He added that Russian President Vladimir Putin is carrying out “terrorist attacks” on Ukraine’s energy system, killing civilians and leaving them without light and water.

“He cannot create tension in our society in any other way,” Zelenskyy said.

At the same time, Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine would like to procure 27 Patriot air defense systems from US companies and is exploring the possibility of borrowing the crucial system from its European allies in the meantime.

Also Read: Zelenskyy Gives Update on Ukraine Receiving Tomahawk Missiles from US

Russian Strikes Knock Out Ukraine’s Energy Infrastructure

In recent weeks, Ukraine has faced intensified Russian strikes on its energy infrastructure as winter approaches.

All thermal power plants (TPPs) operated by Ukraine’s state-owned energy company, Centrenergo, were offline following overnight attacks on the infrastructure on Nov. 8.

The Russian attacks disrupted electricity, heat, and water supplies in several Ukrainian cities, with Centrenergo warning that generating capacity “is down to zero.”

Russia has targeted the power and heating grid throughout its almost four-year invasion, destroying a large part of the key civilian infrastructure.

This weekend’s attack was the ninth massive attack on gas infrastructure since early October, Ukraine’s energy company Naftogaz said.

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