Ukrainian assaults on Russian energy infrastructure left over 20,000 residents in border areas without electricity on Sunday, according to local officials.

The governor of the Belgorod region, Vyacheslav Gladkov, reported that the electricity and heating supply system had sustained extensive damage in the regional capital. He noted on Telegram, “Several streets are experiencing power outages… More than 20,000 people are currently without electricity.”

In the nearby Kursk region, Governor Alexander Khinshtein stated on Telegram that “a fire erupted at a power station in the village of Korenevo,” affecting electricity supply to 10 municipalities.

Additionally, a fire occurred at a heating facility in the southern Voronezh region, as reported by Governor Alexander Gusev.

On another front, Russia’s Defense Ministry announced the destruction of 44 Ukrainian drones over the Bryansk border region.

On Saturday, Russian strikes on energy infrastructure left Ukraine struggling to restore electricity and heating, with the country’s power supply company indicating that its generation capacity dropped to “zero” on Sunday. This assault caused considerable damage to Ukrainian power plants and resulted in at least four fatalities.

In recent months, Russia has intensified its attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure, launching 69 drones at energy facilities throughout the country overnight into Sunday, of which 34 were intercepted by the Ukrainian air force.