Ukrainian Strikes Target Russian Power Infrastructure
KYIV, Ukraine – Reports indicate that Ukrainian airstrikes have disrupted power and heating services in two significant Russian cities near the border, according to local officials.
This news comes amid ongoing exchanges of attacks between Russia and Ukraine, each targeting the other’s energy infrastructure nearly every day. Diplomatic efforts led by the U.S. to bring an end to the nearly four-year-long conflict seem to be stalled.
In addition, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister mentioned that a recent extensive Russian drone and missile strike damaged a substation providing electricity to two nuclear power plants, accusing Russia of endangering nuclear safety on purpose.
Regional Governor Alexander Gusev reported that the drone strikes caused temporary power outages, leaving parts of Voronezh without heating. Multiple drones were reportedly electronically jammed over Voronezh, a city with over a million residents, leading to fires at public facilities, which were promptly extinguished.
Telegram channels from both Russian and Ukrainian news sources alleged that the attack aimed at a local thermal power facility.
Moreover, a missile attack late Saturday inflicted “serious damage” to power and heating systems in Belgorod, impacting around 20,000 households, according to local Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov.
Belgorod has around 340,000 inhabitants as per the last census, and serves as the administrative center of its region.
On Sunday, Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed to have destroyed or intercepted 44 Ukrainian military drones over southwestern Russia during the night, though they didn’t specify whether Voronezh or Belgorod oblasts were included in this situation or how many drones were sent from Ukraine.
Ukraine has focused on long-range drone attacks targeting Russian oil refineries to undermine funding for the war effort. Meanwhile, Ukraine and its Western partners assert that Russia intends to destabilize Ukraine’s power grid, denying civilians access to heat, light, and water for yet another winter, which Ukrainian officials have termed “weaponized cold.”
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sibikha noted that Friday’s drone and missile assault targeted substations supplying electricity to the Khmelnytskyi and Rivne nuclear power plants, stating these were calculated acts endangering Europe’s nuclear safety.
Sibikha called for an urgent meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency’s Board of Governors to discuss the risks involved.
The energy ministry in Ukraine has faced growing criticism for what seems like neglect of essential energy infrastructures near nuclear plants, following serious Russian attacks on the country’s energy facilities last winter.
In a separate development, Russia’s Foreign Minister expressed willingness to meet U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio to discuss the ongoing war in Ukraine and the possibility of repairing relations between the two nations.
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov emphasized on Sunday that peace talks must consider “Russia’s interests,” suggesting continual adherence to Russia’s stringent demands regarding Ukraine.
