An electrical substation in Russia’s Bryansk Region came under attack on Saturday morning, causing a blackout in a village some 20 kilometers from the Ukrainian border, according to local governor Aleksandr Bogomaz.
“As a result of the attack of Ukrainian terrorists in the village of Pogar, the power supply was disrupted,” Bogomaz wrote on Telegram at 1:00am local time, adding that there were no casualties and that emergency services were already working at the scene.
The Defense Ministry has yet to comment on the alleged new terrorist attack against civilian infrastructure. Several Russian Telegram news channels published footage purportedly showing the power facility on fire, but officials shared no further details about the incident or whether it was caused by a drone.
Several hours later, the governor of Belgorod Region said that air defense units had intercepted several hostile targets. The Defense Ministry later added that Ukraine had fired nine rockets from the BM-27 Uragan system, all of which were destroyed mid-air.
On Friday, the Russian military shot down ten drones over the neighboring Kursk Region, but according to its governor, one of the UAVs managed to hit an electrical substation, causing a local blackout.
The Russian border regions of Kursk, Bryansk and Belgorod, as well as Crimea and Moscow, have been frequently targeted by drones since Russia launched its military operation in Ukraine in February 2022. Russian officials have also accused Kiev of plotting acts of sabotage targeting the country’s major infrastructure sites, including nuclear power plants.
Kiev has further stepped up assaults on Russian territory in recent months, as Ukraine’s ground counteroffensive launched in early June has failed to yield any significant victories.