Ukrainian drone and missile strikes have disrupted power and heating to two major Russian cities near the Ukrainian border, local officials reported Sunday, marking the latest escalation in the ongoing cross-border assaults targeting critical energy infrastructure.
Authorities in the Russian city of Voronezh said several drones struck overnight, sparking a fire at a local utility facility and causing temporary blackouts that left parts of the city without electricity and heat. Governor Alexander Gusev said some drones were intercepted by electronic defenses, while firefighters quickly extinguished the blaze. Russian and Ukrainian media outlets on Telegram reported that the attack targeted a local thermal power plant.
In the nearby city of Belgorod, a missile strike late Saturday caused what local Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov described as “serious damage” to power and heating systems, affecting roughly 20,000 households. Belgorod, a regional administrative center with about 340,000 residents, has repeatedly been struck amid intensifying Ukrainian offensives aimed at disrupting Russian logistics and infrastructure close to the border.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said Sunday that its air defenses intercepted or destroyed 44 Ukrainian drones overnight across southwestern Russia, though it did not specifically mention attacks in Voronezh or Belgorod or specify the total number of drones launched.
The strikes are part of a broader campaign by Ukraine to weaken Moscow’s energy production capacity by targeting refineries and utility plants deep inside Russian territory. Kyiv says the strategy is a direct response to Moscow’s relentless bombardment of Ukraine’s own energy grid — attacks that have left millions without power during freezing winters. Ukrainian officials accuse Russia of “weaponizing winter” in an attempt to break civilian morale.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said Russia’s large-scale missile and drone assault on Friday deliberately endangered nuclear safety by hitting substations that supply the Khmelnytskyi and Rivne nuclear power plants. Sybiha called for an emergency meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency’s board, saying Moscow was “deliberately endangering nuclear safety in Europe.”
The diplomatic strain between Washington and Moscow also resurfaced Sunday as Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said he was ready to meet U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio to discuss the war in Ukraine and bilateral relations. Lavrov reiterated that peace talks could only occur if “Russian interests are taken into account,” signaling no shift in Moscow’s hardline stance.
AP
