Kyiv (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Ukrainian strikes on energy infrastructure have left more than 20,000 people without power in several Russian border regions, local authorities said on Sunday.
Ukrainian strikes have disrupted power and heating in two major Russian cities near the border, according to local Russian officials. Russian and Ukrainian news channels on Telegram reported that the strike hit a local thermal power plant.
How have Ukrainian strikes affected the russian border regions?
Belgorod Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov stated that the electricity and heating supply network has suffered severe damage in the regional capital of Belgorod.
“Several streets are affected by power issues… More than 20,000 residents are without electricity,”
he said on Telegram.
In the western Kursk region,
“a fire broke out at one of the power plants in the village of Korenevo,”
cutting power to 10 localities, Governor Alexander Khinshtein announced on Telegram. Russia’s defence ministry said on Sunday that its forces destroyed or intercepted 44 Ukrainian drones during the night that flew over two south-western regions, Bryansk and Rostov.
A fire broke out at a heating facility in the southern Voronezh region, according to Governor Alexander Gusev. He reported that several drones were electronically jammed overnight over the city, which has a population of just over one million. This led to a fire at a local utility facility, but it was quickly put out.
How are Ukrainian drone strikes impacting Russia’s energy infrastructure?
On Saturday, Russian attacks on energy infrastructure also left Ukraine struggling to restore light and heating. The state power provider announced that its generating capacity fell to “zero” on Sunday. The attack caused major damage to Ukrainian power plants and resulted in at least four deaths.
Moscow, which has escalated attacks on Ukraine’s infrastructure in recent months, launched 69 drones at energy facilities across the country overnight into Sunday, of which 34 were shot down, according to the Ukrainian air force.
Why are Ukraine and Russia targeting each other’s energy grids?
Moscow and Kyiv have been attacking each other’s energy targets almost every day. Striking each other’s energy infrastructure significantly affects Europe by disrupting gas supplies, increasing energy prices, and causing regional electricity shortages. Ukraine’s long-range drone strikes on Russian refineries aim to cut off the oil export revenue that Moscow needs to continue the war. Russia wants to damage the Ukrainian power grid and prevent civilians from getting heat and light.
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