A Russian drone attack cut power to more than 400,000 consumers in parts of Ukraine’s northeast region of Sumy, officials said on Monday, after Kyiv said its air defence forces downed 12 attack drones in the region overnight.
Work to restore electricity continued into the morning as 91 settlements out of the 1,325 impacted remained without power in the region, national grid operator Ukrenergo said on Telegram messaging app. “Electricity supply has been restored in the affected settlements and parts of the city of Sumy,” the region’s military administration said on Telegram.
Ukraine’s air force said that Russia launched 13 attack drones against Ukraine. Air defence systems downed 12 of the air weapons over the Sumy region.
Russia’s recent massive drone and missile attacks have increasingly been aimed at Ukraine’s energy system, leading to blackouts in many regions and significant damage to its thermal and hydropower stations. These attacks caused more than $1 billion worth of damage to the sector, Ukraine’s energy minister German Galushchenko said on Sunday.
As the country races to repair its stations ahead of the winter, it has turned to solar and wind power generation, in addition to imports from Europe, for support.
Reuters could not independently verify the reports. There was no immediate comment from Russia, which has been pummelling Ukraine’s east and south regions with drones and missiles throughout the war.