Kyiv (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – A Russian drone attack overnight targeted four power facilities near Odesa, a southern Ukrainian city. As a result, over 29,000 customers lost electricity on Sunday morning, as reported by the region’s governor and the power company DTEK.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces’ Air Forces announced on Sunday that Russian forces carried out 142 airstrikes overnight, employing 142 drones of different types.
The military report states that drone strikes are carried out from Kursk, Millerovo, and Primorsko-Akhtarsk regions and Chauda in occupied Crimea. The Defence Forces reported that they downed or intercepted 126 drones in the north, south, and east of the country.
What damage was caused by russian drones?
Oleh Kiper, the head of the wider Odesa region, said the port city of Chornomorsk, located near Odesa, was the hardest hit, with damage to both residential and administrative buildings, Kiper posted on Telegram.
“Critical infrastructure is being run on generators,”
Kiper said, adding that one person was injured in the attack. Ukraine’s largest energy company, DTEK, also said four of its power plants were affected overnight.
DTEK stated that as soon as the energy workers get the go-ahead from the military and rescue services, they will start examining and making emergency repairs on the equipment.
How has Russia intensified drone strikes before the winter season?
In the last few weeks, Russia has ramped up its attacks on Ukrainian energy and gas infrastructure, hitting key sites in many areas. The attacks have resulted in a widespread blackout, affecting over 100,000 residents in Poltava, Sumy, and Chernihiv.
Russia’s use of massive drone and missile strikes has resulted in damage to or attacks on gas transport systems, electrical substations, and other energy infrastructure.
For instance, on the night of August 27, Russia conducted a multi-site drone attack targeting energy and gas transport systems in six Ukrainian oblasts: Poltava, Sumy, Chernihiv, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, and Donetsk.
