After 10 hours of sirens, Ukrainians emerged from damp air raid shelters and subway tunnels across the country to switch back on the lights – only for many to find the power was out.
"The bomb siren went on at six in the morning, and soon after the blasts started rocking the sky above Kyiv," Save the Children's Ukraine director Sonia Khush said.
A barrage of missile and drone strikes on Monday, local time, saw millions take shelter as Russia bombarded the country's capital as well as 15 Ukrainian regions in what appeared to be a targeted attack on the country's power supply.
"I lost count of the explosions as the windows and walls in my apartment started shaking, and I had to quickly take shelter, as did millions of children and their families.
"Damp and cold basements, cellars, and subway stations – children had to endure difficult conditions paired with immense fear and distress as the air raid alert lasted almost 10 hours," Ms Khush wrote, citing local reports that said at least four children had been injured in the barrage.
Thousands packed into Kyiv's subways after the sirens started, many carrying small suitcases or backpacks of essentials.
"Across the country, entire cities remain without stable electricity and water supplies," the charity's director continued.
Children's hospitals have limited their operations and many have switched to alternative sources of energy such as fuel generators, Ms Khush said.
Emergency blackouts were reported across the country from Sumy, a region bordering Russia, to the west and in the south in the city of Odesa.
"When there are explosions, I always feel a tremor. I feel my heart beat faster. It's quite difficult," said Voloshyna, a 34-year-old lawyer, who headed underground when the sirens sounded.
The latest air raid alert covered the whole country.
Civilian infrastructure targeted in strikes
At least seven people were killed in the barrage of missile and drone strikes that largely focused on energy infrastructure.
Ukranian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a video statement on X that more than 120 missiles and over 100 Shahed drones – Iranian made hardware commonly used by the Russian military – had been deployed in "one of the largest attacks" on Ukraine yet.
"Like most Russian strikes before, this one was equally insidious, targeting critical civilian infrastructure," he said.
"The energy sector has sustained significant damage, but in every area affected by power outages, restoration work is already in progress."
Mr Zelenskyy said the missiles and drones had been launched from border regions such as Kursk and Belgorod – where the Ukrainian army has crossed the Russian border in an unprecedented offensive – as well as the Black Sea and Crimea.
US President Joe Biden condemned Russia's strikes as "outrageous".
In a statement on Monday, he added that Washington would continue providing Ukraine with equipment to repair and support the Ukrainian energy grid.
The Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shymhal said he had spoken with the US deputy secretary of state, Richard Verma, about the damage to civilian infrastructure caused by the "massive attack".
Anna Bublyk, one of those waiting for the all-clear in a subway shelter, said she had somehow got used to the war.
"When you hear an explosion, you feel a bit uneasy, but if you worry all the time … I mean, we've been hearing these blasts for three years now," the 23-year-old said.
ABC/wires
