World

Ukrainian Drone Attacks Kill Three in Russia’s Belgorod and Disrupt Power in Ukraine

By Al Jazeera Staff

Ukrainian drone strikes killed three people in Russia’s Belgorod region, officials in the border province announced on Wednesday. The attacks also cut power to several Ukrainian cities and parts of Russian‑occupied Crimea, according to local authorities. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia’s overnight attacks damaged power generation facilities and substations in nine regions, leaving emergency outages in many cities. Russia’s Defence Ministry confirmed on Telegram that it hit two power stations in Ukraine’s Kyiv and Zhytomyr regions. Overnight Russian attacks on critical infrastructure caused hours‑long power and water outages across Kyiv and surrounding areas. Residents in the capital were urged to use public drinking water fountains, and emergency centres offering hot tea and power points to charge devices were set up in the worst‑hit areas. Power outages also occurred in Crimea, the peninsula Russia seized from Ukraine in 2014, home to about 2.5 million residents. Russia’s Ministry of Energy said Ukrainian strikes hit energy infrastructure overnight and that temporary outage schedules were in force, but it did not say how many households were affected. Reports also indicated that Russia‑held Crimea ordered power cuts after an accident outside the region, a Moscow‑installed official said, according to Reuters. In addition to Kyiv, Russia also hit the regions of Poltava, Dnipro, Kirovohrad and Rivne, Reuters reported, citing Ukraine’s emergency service and local officials. In southern Russia, a Ukrainian drone attack started a fire at a major warehouse belonging to Ozon, Russia’s Amazon. The strikes were on an Ozon distribution facility in the town of Adygeysk, in the Republic of Adygea, regional head Murat Kumpilov said. Ozon said all workers were evacuated and no one was hurt, and that it had removed damaged goods from its listings and rerouted deliveries. Russia’s Defence Ministry also said it downed 709 Ukrainian drones across 14 regions, Crimea and the Black and Azov seas.