Ukraine struck a thermal power plant in Russia’s Belgorod region overnight on Sunday as Kyiv and Moscow go tit-for-tat in energy strikes in subzero temperatures.
A local news outlet described it as the “most massive” strike on the city of Belgorod to date throughout Russia’s war in Ukraine, with over two dozen explosions heard throughout the night.
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Independent outlet Astra, citing photos and videos from locals, said “at least 50 explosions were counted,” with power and water outages reported in some districts.
Footage from a local also shows what he described as fragments from unidentified missiles.
Belgorod Region Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov confirmed in a Saturday evening update that “energy facilities” were hit and attributed the damage to US-made High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS).
“According to our information, the city of Belgorod has been hit by a massive shelling, presumably by HIMARS. There are no casualties, but there is damage to energy facilities,” he wrote.
In a later update, Gladkov said “24 munitions” were fired against Belgorod overnight, damaging energy facilities alongside other premises and properties.
“During the massive shelling, 24 munitions were fired at Belgorod. Energy facilities and nine vehicles were damaged,” he wrote on Sunday morning. “Emergency Ministry personnel also extinguished a fire in an outbuilding on a private property.”
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Gladkov added that damage was recorded to homes, vehicles, and infrastructure in the region’s Borisov, Valuysky, Volokonovsky, Graivoron, and Krasnoyarsk, with some areas left temporarily without gas.
Using available footage, analysts from Astra asserted that a combined heat and power plant (CHP) on Belgorod’s Severo-Donetskaya Street in Belgorod was hit at least twice overnight.
“Both strikes were captured on camera. The video was filmed from Vokzalnaya Street. The distance to the CHP is approximately 750 meters [2,460 feet],” Astra wrote.
Kyiv has not commented on the strike at the time of publication.
The attack comes as Kyiv continues to face widespread heating and electricity outages after multiple major Russian strikes on the country’s energy grid on Jan. 9, Jan. 20, and Jan. 24.
On Sunday morning, authorities said over 1,670 buildings in Kyiv remain without heating with close to a million without electricity after Saturday’s attack.
After the Jan. 20 attack, Kyiv Mayor Vitaly Klitschko warned of an impending “humanitarian catastrophe,” saying more than half a million people had already fled Kyiv and urging others to leave if they could.
After the Jan. 9 attack, the Kremlin suggested that targeting Ukraine’s energy grid in subzero temperatures was meant to pressure Kyiv into concessions in peace talks. While some speculated that an energy truce might be on the table during the weekend’s Abu Dhabi negotiations, later statements indicate no progress has been made.