Ukraine’s army carried out a massive attack on Russia’s energy infrastructure and military-industrial complex overnight. A combination of missiles and drones destroyed a power station and seriously damaged a defence factory, forcing production to stop.
HIMARS rockets struck a 60 MW thermal power plant near the Russian city of Belgorod, causing severe damage. The Luch electrical substation was also hit in the attack. Power outages were reported across the Belgorod region in the aftermath of the devastating strikes, as authorities struggled to restore electricity supplies.
Belgorod region’s Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov confirmed a strike on critical infrastructure as well as “significant power outages.”
Video images show the dramatic moment the power station is hit by the volley of missiles, causing a huge explosion which sent balls of flame and plumes of thick smoke skywards.
The thermal plant supplies energy to Belgorod’s northern and central districts, covering 36.3% of the city’s heating needs. Originally coal-fired, the station switched to gas in 1958, which remains its primary fuel.
In Bryansk region, missiles struck a defence plant, causing major damage to a workshop and boiler house. The enterprise has been forced to suspend production, while repairs are carried out by engineers.
The Karachev Electrodetal Plant was hit with Neptune missiles in the early hours of Monday morning. Images show a large fire engulfing the industrial site, which produces military equipment.
Ukraine’s military confirmed it had attacked the plant, saying in a statement: “The Karachev Electrodetal Plant produces various electrical connectors for military and general industrial applications, including low-frequency, high-frequency, and combined connectors. The products are used in aerospace, electronics, instrumentation, and other industries.”
Eighty employees were evacuated from the burning complex, as firefighters rushed to extinguish the blaze.
The overnight strikes produced a furious reaction from pro-Russian military bloggers, with one venting his anger on the Kremlin.
In a video, he rants: “Everyone is silent. HIMARS hit Belgorod, there is no power! Drones are striking Belgorod, Kursk regions. And Peskov is telling us how our economy is doing. What economy? People are being killed every day.
“They’re going to give them Tomahawks now, are we f***ing losers, and are we just going to eat this sh*t?”
