The situation at a glance: Ukraine facing new power cuts

Following recent Russian attacks on energy infrastructure, nationwide power cuts will begin in Ukraine this morning. For this purpose, the national electricity supplier Ukrenerho published schedules in advance for the various regions in which the electricity would then be switched off for several hours. Despite intensive preparations by Ukraine to protect the infrastructure against attacks, the Russian military managed to penetrate the protective shields with missiles and combat drones on Sunday night.

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell condemned the attacks, which terrorized civilians and destroyed Ukraine’s energy infrastructure ahead of winter. “Ukraine needs more anti-aircraft defense,” he wrote on the X platform and announced that he would present this priority at the next meeting of the EU Council of Foreign Ministers and Defense Ministers.

According to Ukrenerho’s announcement, the power cuts will begin in the morning. Between 6:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. (5:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m. CET), the electricity will be switched off twice for a longer period of time in different regions, the company announced via Telegram. Citizens were asked not to switch on several powerful electrical devices at once. It is not known whether there will be restrictions in the next few days.

For security reasons, Ukraine has now reduced the electricity production of its nuclear power plants. It was a precautionary measure, said the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, in Vienna.

The nuclear facilities were not hit directly, but stations connected to them were. Currently, only two of the nine operational reactors are producing at full capacity, Grossi said after a conversation with the head of the Ukrainian regulatory authority. “The country’s energy infrastructure is extremely vulnerable, which has a direct impact on nuclear safety,” said Grossi.

Another rocket alarm in Ukraine

Rocket alarms were triggered again overnight in the Ukrainian capital Kiev and several regions of Ukraine. “Threat from the use of ballistic weapons,” the Ukrainian Air Force warned on the Telegram platform. The alarm was lifted early in the morning.

At least ten people were killed in a rocket attack on the city of Sumy in northeastern Ukraine on Sunday evening. Two children were among the fatalities, acting mayor Artem Kobsar said in a video posted on his Telegram channel, where he stood in front of a nine-story residential building destroyed by the attack. At least 50 people were injured in the attack. Rescue workers searched the rubble for survivors and other victims. After further explosions in Sumy, power went out throughout the city.

Drone alarm in Russia – Two drones for Moscow

Drone alarms were triggered in several Russian regions during the night. According to the state agency Tass, 26 Ukrainian drones were shot down by anti-aircraft defense near Bryansk, said Governor Alexander Bogomas. The alarm was also sounded in Tula, almost 200 kilometers south of Moscow, and in Voronezh. However, no attacks or shootings were reported from these regions.

According to Mayor Sergei Sobyanin, one drone was shot down by air defense in the Moscow suburb of Ramenskoye in the southeast of the capital and in the Pvalovo-Posadsky region in the east. He was quoted by Tass as saying that there was no damage caused by falling debris.