Ukraine drone strikes throw power supplies into disarray in Russian cities

As tit-for-tat attacks connected vigor infrastructure continue, Russian FM Sergey Lavrov says he’s acceptable to conscionable US Secretary of State Marco Rubio for talks.

Ukraine has deed backmost astatine Russia’s attempts to disable its vigor infrastructure with aerial strikes that succeeded successful disrupting powerfulness and heating successful 2 cities crossed the border.

Kyiv’s drone and rocket attacks chopped powerfulness and heating connected Sunday successful the Russian cities of Belgorod adjacent the borderline and Voronezh astir 300km (186 miles) away.

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In Belgorod, section Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said rocket strikes caused “serious damage” to powerfulness and heating systems supplying the city, affecting immoderate 20,000 households.

Alexander Gusev, determination politician of Voronezh, said respective drones were electronically jammed implicit the metropolis – location to much than 1 cardinal radical – and sparked a occurrence astatine a section inferior installation that was rapidly extinguished.

A Russian Defence Ministry connection made nary notation of either the Voronezh oregon Belgorod areas, reporting 44 Ukrainian drones were destroyed oregon intercepted by Russian forces during the night.

Local authorities successful the Rostov portion besides reported an hours-long blackout successful the metropolis of Taganrog, location to immoderate 240,000 people, blaming it connected an exigency shutdown of a powerfulness line. Local media reported a adjacent transformer substation caught fire.

Meanwhile, Russia launched a barrage of drones and missiles successful overnight attacks connected Ukraine, targeting substations that proviso 2 atomic powerfulness plants and sidesplitting 7 people, Ukrainian officials told Reuters quality agency.

Russia’s Defence Ministry confirmed connected Saturday that it launched “a monolithic onslaught with high-precision long-range air, crushed and sea-based weapons” connected weapons accumulation plants and state and vigor facilities successful effect to Kyiv’s earlier strikes connected Russia.

On Sunday, the northeastern portion of Kharkiv was inactive struggling to retrieve from Russia’s attacks, which near astir 100,000 radical without power.

State-owned vigor institution Tsentrenergo said the attacks were the largest connected its facilities since the commencement of the warfare successful February 2022, and it halted operations astatine plants successful the Kyiv and Kharkiv regions.

Moscow launched 69 drones astatine vigor facilities crossed Ukraine overnight into Sunday, of which 34 were changeable down, according to the Ukrainian aerial force.

FM Lavrov acceptable to conscionable Rubio

Russia and Ukraine person traded astir regular assaults connected each other’s vigor infrastructure arsenic United States-led diplomatic efforts to halt the astir four-year warfare look to beryllium starring obscurity fast.

Ukrainian long-range drone strikes on Russian refineries person aimed to deprive Moscow of the oil export revenue it needs to prosecute the war.

Meanwhile, Kyiv and its Western allies accidental Russia is trying to cripple the Ukrainian powerfulness grid and contradict civilians entree to heat, lights, and moving h2o for a 4th consecutive wintertime successful what amounts to a weaponisation of the utmost cold.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told Russian authorities quality bureau RIA Novosti connected Sunday that he’s acceptable to conscionable US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to sermon the warfare connected Ukraine and mend bilateral ties.

Lavrov repeated that bid can’t beryllium achieved without “taking Russian interests into account” – a operation Moscow has utilized to awesome it is lasting steadfast successful its maximalist demands for Ukraine.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has demanded Kyiv retreat troops from the entirety of the 4 regions Moscow claims arsenic portion of Russia: Donetsk and Luhansk successful eastbound Ukraine – which marque up the Donbas – positive Kherson and Zaporizhia successful the south.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said immoderate Russian-occupied territories mightiness beryllium acknowledged arsenic temporarily seized, but has ruled retired immoderate authoritative recognition, saying helium does not person a mandate to springiness distant territory.

Lavrov’s determination comes weeks aft efforts to organise a acme betwixt Putin and US President Donald Trump were abruptly cancelled.