Tens of thousands of people in southern Ukraine are without power following Russian strikes, Ukrainian officials said Tuesday, despite Moscow’s claims that it is not targeting the country’s energy infrastructure.
Russia has rejected a joint US-Ukrainian proposal for an unconditional ceasefire but claimed it had agreed to a temporary halt on strikes against Ukrainian energy sites.
Kyiv, however, accused Moscow of repeatedly attacking power facilities.
“This morning, another Russian strike damaged a power facility in Kherson, leaving 45,000 residents without electricity,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha said at a news conference.
Since launching its full-scale invasion in February 2022, Russia has systematically targeted Ukraine’s power grid, leading to widespread outages.
Moscow has also accused Ukraine of attacking Russian energy sites. On Tuesday, Russian officials reported new strikes in the Belgorod region and the partially Russian-occupied Ukrainian region of Zaporizhzhia.
For the first time in nearly six months, Russia overnight refrained from launching Shahed drones over Ukraine, instead using cruise missiles and guided bombs. The Ukrainian Air Force intercepted two Kh-59/69 missiles.
Despite this pause in drone strikes, Russia continued heavy bombardment, deploying glide bombs in the Sumy, Zaporizhzhia, and Donetsk regions. Dnipropetrovsk regional head Serhiy Lysak reported an attack on Nikopol, damaging infrastructure, an administrative building, and three private homes, with no casualties.
This shift in tactics doesn’t suggest a ceasefire, but may indicate Moscow is stockpiling resources for more intense future attacks. The Ukrainian General Staff reported 216 combat clashes in the past 24 hours, highlighting ongoing intense fighting.
Sybiha also said Kyiv and Washington were engaged in talks over a resources agreement that would grant the US access to Ukrainian natural resources, including critical minerals and hydrocarbons.
“It is always important to strengthen the presence of American business in Ukraine, so this process is ongoing, and we will work with our American colleagues to reach a mutually acceptable text for signing,” he said.
A planned agreement on extracting Ukraine’s strategically important minerals was derailed last month after a televised clash between US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
On Sunday, Trump warned Zelensky he would face “big problems” if Kyiv rejected the latest US proposal.