The northern Ukrainian town of Konotop was plunged into darkness after overnight Russian drone attacks damaged energy infrastructure, the local military said. A regional official said that the energy facility that supplies electricity to the settlement of 83,000 people was hit, leaving industrial consumers without power and the town’s water system shut off. Fourteen people were hurt as a result of the attacks, the military said. The attack was the latest in a series of strikes on Ukraine’s energy grid that have left rolling blackouts across much of the country.
Ukraine’s military meanwhile said it had shot down 24 Russian drones that launched overnight attacks, including some near the border with Russia in the south and east. The drones had been fired from territory controlled by pro-Russian separatists, a ministry spokeswoman said.
A senior NATO diplomat warned that such violations of the Alliance’s airspace will likely continue. “Russia’s actions in violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity are irresponsible and potentially dangerous,” said Mircea Geoana, NATO’s outgoing deputy secretary general and former top Romanian diplomat. He added that the Alliance was working with the international community to address the issue.
Latvia’s defense minister meanwhile condemned what he called a Russian drone incursion into his country, confirming that it had entered the airspace near a small town at the western edge of the Baltic state. Andris Spruds said the drone probably strayed into Latvia from neighboring Belarus. The incursion is one of several drone incursions into Latvian airspace since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022.
In retaliation, Russia’s defense ministry vowed to shoot down more than 87 Ukrainian drones over the next week, with most targeted in the southern Rostov region that houses its headquarters against Kyiv. The ministry also says it has begun targeting places producing shells and gunpowder and that a new generation of Kinzhal missiles — perhaps the toughest conventional Russian rocket to fire – will be used in upcoming strikes.
Kyiv has vowed to respond to the stepped-up Russian strikes with a broad-based offensive aimed at regaining control of the rebel-held areas it lost in last year’s war with Russia. The Ukrainian military has pushed back several attempts by pro-Russian forces to capture the strategic city of Yaroslavl, which is home to major thermal and hydropower stations. Ukraine’s energy sector has suffered $1 billion in damage as a result of the Russia-led attacks on its facilities. It is racing to repair the stations ahead of winter and has been relying on imports from Europe for support.
