Russian drone strikes leave 60,000 Ukrainian homes in darkness

Nearly 60,000 households were plunged into darkness in Ukraine on Sunday after waves of Russian drone strikes targeted power facilities in the country’s north and south, prompting President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to vow a forceful response with “deep strikes” inside Russia.

Ukraine’s largest private energy provider, DTEK, confirmed that four energy facilities in the Odesa region were attacked overnight.

The hardest hit was the port city of Chornomorsk, where homes and administrative buildings also sustained damage.

Local governor Oleh Kiper reported that 29,000 people were left without electricity, adding that “critical infrastructure is operating on generators.” One person was injured in the strikes.

In the north, Russian drones damaged energy infrastructure in the Chernihiv region, cutting power to 30,000 households, including parts of the city of Nizhyn, according to regional governor Viacheslav Chaus.

The attacks came as the war entered its fourth year, with both sides escalating strikes on vital infrastructure. Russia has increasingly targeted Ukraine’s energy grid and transport systems, while Ukraine has retaliated by hitting Russian oil refineries and pipelines.

Zelenskiy, following a meeting with Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrsky, said on social media platform X that Ukraine’s forces were ready.

“We will continue our active operations in exactly the way needed for Ukraine’s defence… New deep strikes have also been planned,” he wrote, without disclosing details.

The violence also spread to the Black Sea, where a civilian bulk carrier flying Belize’s flag sustained minor damage after hitting an unidentified explosive device near Chornomorsk port. The incident underscored the risks to Ukraine’s maritime corridor linking the Black Sea to the Mediterranean.

Meanwhile, Pope Francis renewed his call for an immediate ceasefire, urging both Moscow and Kyiv to halt hostilities and return to dialogue.

For residents in Odesa and Chernihiv, however, the focus remains on survival as crews await clearance to begin emergency repairs on battered energy facilities.