Russia's Belgorod Oblast faces blackouts, heating shortages for 3rd time this week
Editor's Note: This is a developing story.
Blackouts and heating outages were reported in the Russian city of Belgorod on Feb. 7 after alleged attacks on a local thermal power plant and electrical substation.
The news marks the third time this week that widespread power outages have been reported in Belgorod Oblast.
Residents reported that the Belgorod electrical substation and the city's Luch thermal power plant were attacked the morning of Feb. 7, according to local Telegram channels. Power outages were then reported in mutliple districts of Belgorod and surrounding areas.
Regional Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov later confirmed that attacks on energy facilities caused blackouts in the city, but did not specify which facilities had been hit. Gladkov said emergency heating points had been set up in the city for residents.
After analyzing video footage of the alleged attack, the Telegram news channel Astra reported that the footage shows a missile strike on the Luch power plant in Belgorod.
The Kyiv Independent could not verify these claims at the time of publication.
Blackouts caused by Ukrainian missile attacks were also reported in Belgorod on Feb. 6 and Feb. 3.
The Luch thermal power plant is a gas-turbine heat and power station that supplies approximately 10% of the city's heat. Belgorod Oblast borders Ukraine's Sumy, Kharkiv, and Luhansk regions and is regularly used as a staging area for Russian strikes on Ukrainian territory.
Ukraine has previously launched attacks at energy infrastructure in the region using High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) and multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS) — retaliating against Russia's assault on Ukraine's energy grid and increasingly disrupting daily life for Belgorod residents.
Russia's latest mass attack on Ukraine once again targeted the country's critical energy infrastructure, including thermal power plants and substations servicing the country's nuclear power plants. According to DTEK, Ukraine's largest private energy firm, the attack significantly reduced the available amount of electricity in the country.
The company warned Ukrainians that "difficult days" lay ahead, as Russian attacks further threaten the supply of light and heat amid freezing winter temperatures.
