Russian Attacks Cut Power to 150,000 Residents in Ukraine

A Russian attack on an energy facility in Ukraine left 150,000 without power, prompting a response from Ukrainian officials and President Zelenskyy.

A Russian attack on an energy facility in Ukraine’s northern city of Chernihiv and surrounding district on Friday cut power to around 150,000 residents, according to the regional electricity distribution company. Workers were actively seeking to restore power supply to consumers in the area, the company said in an update via Telegram.

Ukrainian air defenses were also working to repel a Russian attack in Ukraine’s capital of Kyiv on Friday morning, according to Mayor Vitali Klitschko.

This update comes as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy welcomed strikes by Ukrainian Defense Forces on a key missile components facility in the Russian city of Kirov, along with an attack on an oil facility nearly 1,350 kilometers (about 839 miles) away. Zelenskyy stated that the Kirov facility supplied components for Russia’s aircraft and missile systems and described the attack as “entirely justified” since those same components had been used to target Ukrainian cities and communities.

“There were other successful strikes as well. Importantly, the operation against Russian logistics, which supplies the occupying army with drone components, navigation equipment, and military gear, remains underway,” Zelenskyy said in a social media post.

In recent weeks, Ukraine has targeted major logistics centers on Russian territory, including multiple attacks on facilities belonging to Wildberries, a retail giant drawing comparisons to U.S. e-commerce leader Amazon.

These coordinated strikes signal a new phase in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, strategically aimed at disrupting Moscow’s supply chains and increasing the financial strain on the country’s businesses and state budget.

Separately, the European Union revealed its largest sanctions package against Russia in four years, targeting nearly 220 individuals and entities to squeeze the nation’s economy and diminish its ability to sustain a full-scale invasion. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas emphasized that the sanctions are meant to apply pressure, stating, “We’re hitting over a hundred banks and crypto operators, 40+ vessels in Russia’s shadow fleet, and several oil refineries in Russia and Belarus. Russia will only negotiate to end its illegal war and stop killing civilians if it is pressured to do so. Sanctions add to this pressure.”