Around 50,000 people were left without power on Friday in the Russian city of Belgorod after Ukrainian missiles attacked it overnight, the regional governor said.
Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said about half of those affected should have power back by the end of Friday. following the latest in a series of attacks that have caused repeated blackouts.
Belgorod, located about 40 kilometers from the border with Ukrainehas been a frequent target of Ukrainian drone and missile attacks in the four years since Russia invaded its neighboring country.
“Serious damage has occurred to the energy infrastructure,” Gladkov wrote on Telegram. “As a result, there have been interruptions in the supply of electricity, water and heating,” he added.
There was no immediate comment from Ukrainian authorities. Residents of kyiv and other Ukrainian cities have suffered frequent heat and power outages in the coldest weeks of winter due to Russian attacks on Ukraine’s power grid.
Along with the neighboring Kursk region, part of which was taken by Ukraine in a surprise attack in August 2024 and occupied for many months, Belgorod has been the hardest hit by Ukrainian cross-border attacks since the start of the war.
The bombings, drone attacks and blackouts have made war an everyday reality that is impossible to ignore, in contrast to the rest of Russiawhere opinion polls suggest many are trying to get on with their lives while ignoring news from the battlefield.
According to local media and authorities, Since the start of the war, about 485 people have died in Belgorod and the surrounding regionincluding 35 this year alone.
“At night we hear explosions more frequently and the window panes rattle loudly. We have suffered intense bombing throughout the month of February,” said a pensioner from Belgorod, adding that she had been told there would be no hot water until summer.
A 40-year-old Belgorod resident, who like the retiree asked not to be identified, said she had gone to the theater this month to see a play that was interrupted three times due to missile alerts. According to him, the public was asked to keep their coats on due to the lack of heating.
“Sometimes we can’t sleep at night, hiding when shells hit neighboring houses,” he said. “People tend to take shelter where they can. Everyone is looking for a safe place away from the windows,” he concluded.
