Ukraine targets power plant in Russia city of Belgorod
The Ukrainian Armed Forces target a power plant in the Russian city of Belgorod, however, the fire was put out quickly while the damages have not yet been assessed.
Following a missile attack on Friday night, a sizable fire started at a power plant in the Russian city of Belgorod, which is close to the Ukrainian border.
According to Vyacheslav Gladkov, Governor of Belgorod Oblast, the Ukrainian military attacked an electricity substation. If verified, this will mark the first time since the massive Russian campaign on Kiev that the Armed Forces of Ukraine have struck an energy infrastructure in a significant Russian town.
While the amount of the damage is still unknown, one video, in particular, captured the exact moment a shell struck the facility, resulting in a significant explosion.
The governor of the Belgorod region stated that the power station had a capacity of 110 kW and that the fire was put out quickly.
Gladkov added that local emergency services are now rerouting the electricity supply and that it is anticipated to be restored in roughly four hours. He said that because local water delivery systems had backup power sources, they were unaffected.
Residents in at least one district of Belgorod City reported a blackout earlier on Friday.
Few days after Crimea bridge attack, Kiev comes under Russian missiles
The advisor to the Ukrainian minister of internal affairs, Anton Gerashchenko, said that the blasts were due to suicide drones. On his Twitter account, Gerashchenko posted, "Breaking news! Center of Kyiv attacked by kamikaze drones." The adviser also stated on his Telegram account that Kiev's subway service was partially suspended due to the attack and is now being used as shelter.
The street where the headquarters of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) is located was also attacked by missiles according to Gerashchenko.
The Mayor of Kiev, Vitaly Klitschko, urged citizens to head to shelters as he announced on his Telegram channel that the capital's center was being targeted, calling on Ukrainian citizens to avoid coming to the city.
The escalation comes after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that Ukrainian special services authorized and carried out the explosion on the Crimean Bridge, which was a terrorist attack aimed at destroying Russia's essential infrastructure.
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