At least two people were killed and three others wounded in a drone attack on a car park in Ukraine’s southwestern Odesa region early Sunday, Ukrainian authorities said. The attack came as Russia continued to target the country’s energy infrastructure.
Odesa regional Governor Oleh Kiper confirmed the casualties, while the State Emergency Service reported the incident on Ukraine’s Black Sea coast.
Meanwhile, tens of thousands of residents in the front-line Zaporizhzhia region were left without power after Russian drones and missiles struck overnight, regional Governor Ivan Fedorov said. He added that two people were injured and shared images of buildings reduced to rubble.
Ukraine’s national energy operator, Ukrenergo, said rolling blackouts affected several regions due to the attacks, which are part of Russia’s sustained campaign on Ukrainian energy infrastructure ahead of winter. The strikes not only disrupt electricity but also affect water, sewage, and heating systems, critical for civilian life.
Analysts note that Russia has shifted tactics this year, targeting specific regions and gas infrastructure. Its drone strikes have become more effective, with hundreds of drones deployed, some equipped with cameras to improve targeting, overwhelming air defenses, particularly in less-protected areas.
In a related development, Ukrainian drone attacks set an oil tanker and infrastructure ablaze at Russia’s Tuapse port, regional officials said Sunday. Social media images showed flames engulfing terminal structures and the tanker, though the footage could not be independently verified.
Tuapse hosts a major oil export terminal and a refinery owned by state-run Rosneft. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said earlier this week that Ukraine’s long-range strikes on Russian refineries have reduced Moscow’s oil refining capacity by 20%, according to Western intelligence. The attacks, along with new U.S. and EU sanctions, aim to curb Russia’s oil and gas revenues, which fund its ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
Source: AP