Two killed in Odesa as power grid comes under renewed attack
At least two people were killed early Sunday when a drone struck a car park in Ukraine’s southwestern Odesa region, the State Emergency Service said. Odesa regional governor Oleh Kiper reported three others were wounded in the strike.
Overnight Russian drone and missile attacks on the frontline Zaporizhzhia region left tens of thousands of households without electricity. Zaporizhzhia regional head Ivan Fedorov said nearly 60,000 people experienced outages and that two people were wounded; he posted images on Telegram showing buildings reduced to rubble.
Ukrenergo, Ukraine’s national grid operator, said several regions faced rolling power cuts Sunday after sustained strikes on the country’s energy network. The Energy Ministry added that the partially occupied Donetsk region was without electricity and parts of Zaporizhzhia, Kharkiv and Chernihiv regions were also affected.
Ukrainian cities rely on centralized systems for water, sewage and heating, so blackouts can quickly disrupt essential services — a serious concern as winter approaches. Officials and analysts say the attacks aim to erode morale and hamper weapons production and other war-related activity nearly four years after Russia’s full-scale invasion.
Analysts note Moscow has shifted tactics this year to strike specific regions and gas infrastructure. The assaults have become more effective as Russia launches hundreds of drones, including some fitted with cameras that improve targeting and can overwhelm air defenses, particularly where protection is weaker.
Clashes on the Black Sea: Tuapse port struck
In Russia, regional officials said a Ukrainian drone strike set an oil tanker and port infrastructure ablaze at Tuapse on the Black Sea. Social media images appeared to show flames consuming terminal facilities and a tanker, but The Associated Press could not independently verify the footage.
A Ukrainian intelligence official told AP that Ukrainian forces struck a tanker, loading infrastructure and port buildings. The official said five drone strikes were recorded and that the operation involved special forces from Ukraine’s Security Service and other defense units; the official spoke on condition of anonymity because of operational sensitivity. Local Russian authorities reported that "two foreign civilian ships" were damaged.
Tuapse hosts a major oil export terminal and a refinery owned by state oil company Rosneft. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said long-range strikes on refineries inside Russia have reduced Moscow’s oil refining capacity by about 20%, citing Western intelligence. Oil exports remain a key source of revenue for Russia, and while Ukrainian attacks target refineries, new U.S. and EU sanctions also aim to reduce Moscow’s oil and gas export earnings.
Reporting by The Associated Press. Some details, including video from Tuapse, could not be independently verified.
