A Ukrainian drone strike sparked a fire at an oil depot in Russia’s southern Volgograd region, regional authorities said on Saturday.
There were no immediate reports of casualties, regional Gov. Andrei Bocharov was quoted as saying in a Telegram post published on the channel of the local administration. The post did not specify the damage, but said that people living near the depot may have to be evacuated.
Ukraine’s long-range drone strikes on Russian energy sites aim to deprive Moscow of the oil export revenue it needs to pursue its full-scale invasion. Russia wants to cripple the Ukrainian power grid, seeking to deny civilians access to heat, light and running water in what Kyiv officials say is an attempt to “weaponise winter”.
Saturday’s attack came the day after Russia bombarded Ukraine with hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles overnight into Friday, according to Ukrainian officials, killing at least four people in the capital. For only the second time in the nearly 4-year-old war, it used a powerful, new hypersonic missile that struck western Ukraine on Friday in a clear warning to Kyiv’s NATO allies.
Read moreRussia uses new ballistic missile in major attack on Kyiv and warning to the West
The intense barrage and the launch of the nuclear-capable Oreshnik missile followed reports of major progress in talks between Ukraine and its allies on how to defend the country from further Moscow aggression if a US-led peace deal is struck.
Russia’s Defence Ministry said Saturday that its forces used aviation, drones, missiles and artillery to strike Ukrainian energy facilities and fuel-storage depots on Friday and overnight. It did not immediately specify the targets or damage.
Kyiv’s electricity system was turned off for repairs at the orders of the state grid operator, the city administration said on Saturday.
The city’s water and heat distribution systems, as well as electrified public transport, have also stopped working as a result of the power outage, the administration said on Telegram.
It said repairs were under way, but did not indicate how long the systems would remain shut down amid intense cold weather.
Half of Kyiv’s apartment blocks were without heat on Friday after the latest Russian attack, as temperatures sank below minus 10 degrees Celsius (14 degrees Fahrenheit).
Overnight into Saturday, Russia struck Ukraine with 121 drones and one Iskander-M ballistic missile, according to the Ukrainian air force. It said 94 drones were shot down.
(FRANCE 24 with AP and Reuters)