Governors of two Russian regions bordering Ukraine said Tuesday that residents are facing sustained power outages as a result of Ukrainian attacks on energy infrastructure, as both sides continue long-range strikes in the run-up to the fourth anniversary of Moscow's full-scale invasion of its neighbor.
Vyacheslav Gladkov, the governor of Russia's western Belgorod region said in posts to Telegram that power and heating outages had forced hundreds of people to rely on "heating points."
"Unfortunately, rolling blackouts are inevitable," Gladkov said, noting that Belgorod city will be among the areas subject to unpredictable outages.
Gov. Alexander Khinshtein of the neighboring Kursk region said that 28,000 customers were without power as a result of "another series of cowardly attacks on our territory."
Both regions have been subject to regular Ukrainian drone, missile and artillery attacks. Both have also seen Ukrainian ground incursions during the nearly 4-year-old war.
'Normal life has disappeared': Russia's energy offensive plunges Ukraine into dark and bitter cold
Recent months have seen both Russia and Ukraine focus attacks on energy infrastructure targets. In Ukraine, millions have facedrolling outagesas a result of months of Russian missile and drone strikes on energy targets all across the country. Moscow, Kyiv has said, is trying to freeze Ukrainians into submission.
The Kremlin, meanwhile, has framed long-range Ukrainian strikes as "terrorist attacks."
Zelenskyy on Sunday defended Ukraine's retaliatory attacks inside Russia, describing the Russian energy sector as "a legitimate target."
"We do not have to choose whether we strike a military target or energy," Zelenskyy said while addressing students at the National Aviation University in Kyiv. "He sells this energy. He sells oil. So is it energy, or is it a military target? Honestly, it's the same thing. He sells oil, takes the money, invests it in weapons. And with those weapons, he kills Ukrainians."
Zelenskyy said that left Ukraine with two options: "We either build weapons and strike their weapons. Or we strike the source where their money is generated and multiplied. And that source is their energy sector. That is what is happening. All of this is a legitimate target for us."
Russian strikes kill 3 in Ukraine as Zelenskyy calls for Western air defense aid
The nightly exchange of drones continued on Monday night.
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Ukraine's air force said Russia launched 125 drones into the country overnight, of which 110 were shot down or suppressed. Thirteen drones impacted across six locations, the air force said in a post to Telegram.
Vadym Filashkin, the governor of Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region, said in a post to social media that two people were killed and seven people injured by a Russian strike in the city of Slovyansk, close to the front line.
At least four people were injured by a drone strike on a house in the southern city of Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine's Interior Ministry said. Among the injured was a 1-year-old child, the ministry said.
Oleh Kiper, the governor of the southern Odesa region, said in a post to Telegram that Russian drones attacked energy infrastructure overnight, leaving at least three communities partially without power.
The Russian Defense Ministry, meanwhile, said its forces shot down at least six Ukrainian drones overnight into Tuesday morning.
Ukraine war must become 'untenable' for Russia, Zelenskyy says after latest strikes
Russia's federal air transport agency, Rosaviatsiya, said that temporary flight restrictions were introduced at airports in the Black Sea city of Gelendzhik and in the western city of Kaluga.
Peace maneuvers are ongoing against the backdrop of long-range strikes and Russia's attritional offensive operations in eastern Ukraine.
Zelenskyy said in a post to social media on Monday night that proposed post-war Western security guarantees intended to protect Ukraine from repeated Russian aggression are "ready."
"There is no alternative to security. There is no alternative to peace. There is no alternative to rebuilding our country," Zelenskyy said.
The Ukrainian president also said there will be "significant international events this week -- on defense and security."
Russia launches more than 440 drones, missiles at Ukraine overnight, Zelenskyy says
"Our negotiating team is working every single day on the documents and proposals that could deliver results at the upcoming meetings," Zelenskyy said.
"Most importantly, our partners must be aligned the same way we are in Ukraine: peace is needed, and reliable security guarantees are the only real foundation for peace and for preventing the Russians from breaking agreements through strikes or hybrid operation of some kind," he added.
