Russian strike leaves 100,000 people without electricity – DW – 06.07.2024

Around 100,000 people were without electricity after a Russian drone strike hit a power plant in the northeastern region of Sumy, Ukrainian authorities said on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Russia claimed its forces had captured a village in the eastern Ukrainian region of Donetsk.

What do we know about the strikes?

National grid operator Ukrenergo said energy facilities in the region had been damaged, leading to power outages in the regional capital Sumy.

A Russian attack also hit the provincial capital Sumy and cut off the water supply.

Repair crews were working to restore supplies. There were no immediate reports of casualties.

The Ukrainian Air Force said it had shot down 24 of 27 Russian drones fired at 12 regions.

Russian state news agency RIA quoted a local pro-Kremlin politician as saying that Russian forces had attacked a missile ammunition factory in the city of Sumy. The report could not be independently verified.

Since March, Russian forces have stepped up attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, making it increasingly difficult for Ukraine to supply electricity to the country. As a result, Ukrenergo has planned several blackouts as electricity imports have failed to cover the deficit.

Russia takes over village in Donetsk

Also on Saturday, the Russian Defense Ministry said its forces had captured the village of Sokil in the eastern Donetsk region.

The settlement is located about 30 kilometers northwest of the regional capital Donetsk, which has been controlled by pro-Russian separatist forces since 2014.

According to Ukrainian authorities, the fiercest fighting in this war is currently taking place in the Donetsk region.

Russia claimed to have annexed the entire Donetsk region and three other regions in September 2022, but does not fully control them. Of the four regions, only Luhansk is largely under Russian control.

Russian President Vladimir Putin demanded the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the four regions in exchange for peace.

The referendums that preceded Russia’s alleged annexation of the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhia regions were declared illegal in a UN General Assembly resolution and condemned by several countries and human rights groups.

sdi/rm (AP, Reuters, AFP)