Affirming Power Grid Attacks In Response to Ukrainian Drones in Crimea, President Putin: That's Not All We Can Do!

President Vladimir Putin. (Source: Kremlin/RIA Novosti/Grigory Sysoev)

JAKARTA - President Vladimir Putin said attacks on Ukraine's infrastructure, as well as a freeze on participation in the Black Sea grain export program, were a response to drone attacks on Moscow's fleet in Crimea that he blamed on Kyiv.

At a press conference Monday, President Putin said Ukrainian drones had been using the same sea corridor, with grain ships transiting under the UN-brokered deal.

Kyiv has not yet claimed responsibility for the attack, denying using the grain program's security corridor for military purposes. The United Nations said no grain ships were using the Black Sea route on Saturday, when Russia said its ships in Crimea were attacked.

Meanwhile, on the 250th day of the war that has been going on since Russia's invasion of Ukraine on February 24, Russian missiles rained down on the entire country. Explosions exploded in Kyiv, sending black smoke into the sky.

Russian troops opened fire on infrastructure in at least six regions of Ukraine on Monday, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said in a statement on Facebook.

"That's not all we can do," Putin said at a televised news conference, suggesting more action could be taken.

Ukrainian officials say energy infrastructure, including hydro-electric dams, was hit, crippling electricity, heat and water supplies.

By Synehubov, governor of the northeastern region of Kharkiv said on Telegram, about 140.000 residents lost power after the attack, including about 50.000 residents of Kharkiv City, Ukraine's second largest city.

Separately, the Ukrainian military said it had shot down 44 of 50 Russian missiles. However, the attacks left 80 percent of Kyiv without running water, authorities said. Ukrainian police said 13 people were injured in the latest attack.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said 18 targets, mostly energy infrastructure, were hit by missiles and drone strikes on 10 Ukrainian regions on Monday.

Russia has been attacking Ukraine's civilian infrastructure using long-range missiles and Iranian-made "suicide drones" over the past three weeks.