KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian drones struck energy grids in Russia-occupied southern Ukraine, knocking out power to hundreds of thousands of people, according to Kremlin-based authorities.
Meanwhile, Moscow continued overnight attacks on Ukraine’s energy grid, killing at least two people, according to Ukrainian officials.
More than 200,000 homes were without power on Sunday in Russian-controlled parts of Ukraine’s southern Zaporozhye region, according to the Kremlin-appointed local governor.
Yevgeny Balitsky said in a Telegram post that power supply to nearly 400 settlements has been cut due to damage to the power grid caused by Ukrainian drone strikes.
During nearly four years of war, Russia has targeted Ukraine’s power grid, especially during the winter. The attacks are aimed at weakening Ukrainians’ willingness to resist, a strategy Kiev officials describe as “weaponizing winter.”
Russia attacked energy infrastructure in the Odessa region on Sunday night, according to Ukraine’s emergency services. A fire broke out and was quickly put out.
Emergency services said at least six people were injured in the Dnepropetrovsk region as a result of the Russian attack.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a telegram that repairing the country’s energy system remains challenging, “but we are doing everything we can to restore everything as quickly as possible.”
He said two people were killed in nighttime attacks across the country, including in Sumy, Kharkiv, Dnipro, Zaporozhye, Khmelnytsky and Odessa.
Zelensky said that Russia used a total of more than 1,300 attack drones, 1,050 guided air bombs and 29 various types of missiles to attack Ukraine this week.
US talks
Zelensky said: “If Russia deliberately delays the diplomatic process, the world’s response should be decisive: provide more help to Ukraine and put more pressure on the aggressor.”
His remarks came a day after a Ukrainian delegation arrived in the United States for talks on U.S.-led diplomatic efforts to end the war.
Zelensky said on Friday that the delegation would work to finalize documents with U.S. officials on a peaceful settlement on post-war security guarantees and economic recovery.
The United States and Ukraine could sign the documents at next week’s World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, if U.S. officials approve the proposals, Zelensky said at a news conference in Kyiv with Czech President Pavel. Trump plans to attend the Davos forum, according to organizers.
Russia still needs to be consulted on the proposals.
Drone strikes in Russia’s Caucasus
Separately, the governor of Russia’s Caucasus mountainous region said that debris from a Ukrainian drone fell on a five-story residential building in North Ossetia, injuring two children and an adult.
On Sunday morning, Governor Sergei Menyaylo said in a Telegram post that 70 people had to be evacuated from the building in the town of Beslan, and that the roof and windows were damaged.
The Russian Defense Ministry said that Russian troops shot down or suppressed 63 Ukrainian drones over Russia and the occupied Crimean Peninsula overnight. A drone strike in Russia’s Krasnodar region east of Crimea left one person hospitalized, local authorities said.
Nuclear power plant maintenance
Ukrainian workers have begun repairing backup power lines connecting the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant to the power grid under a ceasefire brokered by the International Atomic Energy Agency, the Vienna-based U.N. organization said in a post on Sunday.
The fate of Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, which is occupied by Russia, is a central issue in U.S.-brokered peace talks.
“Under another ceasefire agreement brokered by the International Atomic Energy Agency, critical repair work has begun on the vital Ferosplavna-1 330 kV backup transmission line connecting Ukraine’s ZNPP to the grid,” the agency said in the post.
The battle-damaged and out-of-service 330-volt power lines were critical to powering the factory.
