Russia have struck Freedo Square in central Kharkiv with a powerful explosion.

A local power plant was reportedly damaged, causing widespread blackouts in the city of Belgorod and the surrounding region.

The Kizlyar Electromechanical Plant produces equipment for Russian Sukhoi and MiG aircraft and has been sanctioned for its role in the war against Ukraine.

Russia launched yet another wide-ranging attack on Ukrainian cities overnight on Nov. 8, using a combination of drone and missiles to strike targets across the country.

The recent Russian attack destroyed all restored capacity, leaving the plants generating no power, the state-owned energy company Centrenergo said on Nov. 8.

As winter approaches and Russian strikes on Ukraine’s energy system intensify, a small unit from the 3rd Army Corps spends sleepless nights hunting long-range Shahed drones on the front line in Kharkiv Oblast — before they reach Ukrainian cities.

The Russian strike killed 12 servicemen and seven civilians, while 36 others were injured, according to the Prosecutor General's Office.

Russia carried out a drone attack on the city of Dnipro overnight on Nov. 8, killing at least three people and injuring 12 others, including two children, officials reported.

Ukrainian forces downed 406 out of the 458 drones, including Shahed-type attack drones, launched by Russia overnight, the Air Force reported. Russia also launched 45 cruise and ballistic missiles, nine of which were downed, the statement said.

The number includes 1,190 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day.

"We have received a full sanctions exemption for the Turk Stream and Druzhba pipelines," Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said. Reuters reported that the exemption was granted for one year.

"He was the head of a large system, and this system was supposed to ensure the security of our energy sector. He was obliged to do this — and he did not," the president told journalists on Nov. 7.