Drone Strikes Cut Power to Hundreds of Thousands in Russia‑Occupied Zaporizhzhia; IAEA Repairs Underway

Ukrainian drone strikes damaged distribution networks in Russian‑occupied areas of southern Ukraine, cutting electricity to hundreds of thousands of residents on Sunday, Kremlin‑installed officials said.

Yevgeny Balitsky, the Moscow‑appointed governor of occupied Zaporizhzhia, reported on Telegram that more than 200,000 households were left without power and nearly 400 settlements had their supplies interrupted after what he described as Ukrainian drone attacks on energy infrastructure.

At the same time, Russian forces continued heavy strikes on Ukraine’s energy system overnight. Ukrainian authorities said those attacks killed at least two people and wounded others across several regions.

Casualties, Damage and Wider Strikes

Ukraine’s Emergency Service said Russian strikes hit energy facilities in Odesa region overnight; a subsequent fire was quickly extinguished. Officials also reported at least six wounded in the Dnipropetrovsk region. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said attacks struck Sumy, Kharkiv, Dnipro, Zaporizhzhia, Khmelnytskyi and Odesa.

"Repairing the country’s energy system remains challenging, but we are doing everything we can to restore everything as quickly as possible," Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram.

Zelenskyy provided figures for the scale of recent attacks, saying this week saw more than 1,300 attack drones, 1,050 guided aerial bombs and 29 missiles of various types used against Ukraine.

Diplomatic Track: U.S. Talks And Possible Davos Signing

A Ukrainian delegation arrived in the United States for talks on a U.S.‑led diplomatic push to end the war. Zelenskyy said the delegation aims to finalize documents on postwar security guarantees and economic recovery with U.S. officials; if approved, the documents could be signed next week at the World Economic Forum in Davos. He added that any settlement would still require consultation with Russia.

Incidents Inside Russia And Crimea

Russian authorities reported that debris from a downed Ukrainian drone struck a five‑story residential building in Beslan, North Ossetia, wounding two children and an adult. Seventy residents were evacuated and the building suffered roof and window damage, Gov. Sergei Menyaylo said.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said its forces shot down or suppressed 63 Ukrainian drones overnight over Russia and the occupied Crimean Peninsula. Local officials in Krasnodar region reported one person hospitalized after a drone strike.

IAEA‑Brokered Repairs At Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant

Under a ceasefire brokered by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Ukrainian crews began repair work on the Ferosplavna‑1 330 kV backup power line that connects the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) to the national grid, the Vienna‑based U.N. agency said. The line had been damaged and disconnected during fighting and is vital to supplying electricity to Europe’s largest nuclear plant, which remains under Russian occupation.

Authorities on all sides say maintaining reliable power to the ZNPP is critical to avoid a broader nuclear safety crisis and is a central issue in ongoing diplomatic efforts.

Reporting Note: Figures and claims in this article are drawn from statements by Kremlin‑installed local officials, Ukrainian emergency services and Ukrainian presidential sources, as well as Russian defense and regional officials. Independent verification is limited in occupied areas and conflict zones.