Ukraine hits Russian energy leaving thousands without power

Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that he was ready to meet US Secretary of State Marco Rubio for talks but stressed that Russia wouldn’t give up on its core conditions for ending the conflict.

“Secretary of State Marco Rubio and I understand the need for regular communication,” Lavrov told state news agency RIA Novosti.

“It is important for discussing the Ukrainian issue and promoting the bilateral agenda. That is why we communicate by telephone and are ready to hold face-to-face meetings when necessary,” he added.

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced his conditions in June 2024 for ending the war.

They include Kyiv renouncing its plans to join the US-led NATO military alliance and recognizing Russia’s annexation of four Ukrainian provinces: Donetsk and Luhansk in eastern Ukraine, plus Kherson and Zaporizhzhia in the south.

Ukrainian strikes on energy infrastructure have left thousands of people without power in some Russian border areas, local officials said. 

Belgorod Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said the “electricity and heating supply network has suffered severe damage” in the regional capital of the same name.

“Several streets are affected by power issues… More than 20,000 residents are without electricity,” he said on Telegram. 

In the western Kursk region, Governor Alexander Khinshtein said Ukrainian disrupted power to 10 neighborhoods.

A drone strike also temporarily caused blackouts and cut heating to parts of Voronezh, regional Governor Alexander Gusev said.

Russia’s defense ministry, for its part, reported having shot down 44 drones over the border Bryansk region.

Energy infrastructure has been a key target for both Moscow and Kyiv since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in February 2022.

While Russia has attempted to cripple the Ukrainian electricity grid, Ukraine has targeted Russian refineries and other facilities.

Ukrainian strikes targeting Russian energy infrastructure have caused blackouts in two Russian border regions, local officials said on Sunday.

This comes a day after a massive Russian attack led to power cuts in several Ukrainian regions. 

Moscow has regularly hit Ukrainian energy installations since it launched its full-scale invasion of the country in February 2022.

Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that he was ready to meet his US counterpart Marco Rubio for talks but insisted that peace can’t be achieved without “taking Russian interests into account.”

Stay tuned as DW brings you the latest news from the war in Ukraine.