Ukrainian authorities battled to restore power to hundreds of thousands of people in the east of the country following Russian air strikes, while officials said external power had been restored to the Zaporizhzhya nuclear plant, which is currently occupied by Russian forces.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Russia is seeking to "plunge the entire country into a blackout" by pounding more than a dozen Ukrainian regions with drones and missiles ahead of US-mediated talks with Moscow next week.