Ukraine and Russia trade overnight strikes on energy facilities

A massive blackout was recorded in Kyiv and Kharkiv on Saturday evening after a massive combined Russian missile and drone attack. Ukrainian media published photos and videos of the streets of the two cities plunged into darkness.

According to Ukrainian Energy Minister Svitlana Hrynchuk, the worst situation was observed in Kharkiv, Poltava and Donetsk regions, due to repeated overnight attacks in the Sumy and Chernihiv regions.

Centrenergo, one of Ukraine's largest power providers, reported a complete shutdown of generation at two thermal power plants, which feed the capital and Kharkiv with electricity.

"An unprecedented number of missiles and countless drones, several projectiles per minute were targeting the same thermal power plants (TPPs) that were restored after the crushing attack of 2024," the company said in a Facebook post.

By Sunday morning, electricity in most of the affected regions had been restored, but Ukrenergo warned that a schedule of fan blackouts would remain in effect for at least two more days.

Meanwhile, Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said that substations feeding the Khmelnytskyi and Rivne nuclear power plants were among the targets struck by Russian forces.

"These were not accidental, but well-planned strikes. Russia is deliberately jeopardising nuclear security in Europe. We call for an urgent meeting of the IAEA Board of Governors to respond to these unacceptable risks," said Ukraine's top diplomat.

In total, Russia launched more than 450 drones and 45 missiles at Ukraine on Saturday night and overnight into Sunday. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on Western countries to ramp up pressure on Russia to force them to the negotiating table.

"For every energy strike by Moscow, which they want to hurt ordinary people before winter, there should be a sanctions response on the entire Russian energy sector without exception," said Zelenskyy

"So far Russia's nuclear power industry is not under sanctions, so far Russia's military-industrial complex receives Western microelectronics, there should be more pressure on oil and gas trade as well," he added.

Overnight Russian attacks on Ukraine included a barrage of 69 attack drones, 34 of which were intercepted by the country's Air Force. None of the strikes resulted in any casualties.

Meanwhile, Kyiv carried out strikes of its own, targeting Russian energy infrastructure as it attacked facilities in the Voronezh and Belgorod regions overnight.

Telegram channel Astra reported that a thermal power plant in Voronezh, which supplies electricity to several districts of the city, was hit. It was also reported that a number of houses lost access to power late on Saturday.

Regional Governor Aleksandr Gusev wrote that "it was decided to suspend electricity supply to some areas of the city. Now electricity is supplied to all consumers as normal."

In Belgorod, the "Luch" Combined Heat and Power Plant (CHPP) was attacked, leaving tens of thousands of residents without electricity and heating.

On Sunday morning, regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said that "as a result of yesterday evening's strikes, there is serious damage to the power and heat supply system of the city of Belgorod".