Injuries in Ukraine and fire at Russian power station after drone attacks

Almost a dozen people were injured in a Russian drone strike on southern Ukraine, officials said Monday, while a fire broke out at a major Russian power plant after Ukrainian drones attacked the area.

Kyiv said Russian drones had hit the southern regions of Mykolaiv and Odesa, as both countries continued their barrage of recent overnight aerial attacks on energy facilities behind the front lines.

“The enemy attacked Odesa region with attack drones once again,” Governor Oleg Kiper said in a post on Telegram in the early hours of Monday.

“Energy infrastructure has been damaged and there is no electricity supply in parts of Odesa (city)”, he added.

Some 11 people were injured in the southern city of Mykolaiv after a Russian drone attack, Ukrainian army spokesperson Nataliya Gumenyuk said in an interview on national TV.

In Russia, a fire broke out at a power plant in the southern region of Rostov, the local governor said, after a wave of Ukrainian drone attacks in the area.

Two power units at the Novocherkassk power station — one of the largest in southwest Russia — were taken offline, governor Vasily Golubev said in a post on Telegram.

“A fire broke out at the transformer substation … which was promptly put out,” he said.

“Two power units of the power plant have been temporarily taken out of operation,” he added.

The Rostov region borders Ukraine and the regional capital is home to Russia’s military command headquarters for its offensive on Kyiv.

“There were no casualties. The causes of the fire are being investigated,” Golubev said.

Russia’s defence ministry reported downing 11 Ukrainian drones over the Rostov region.

On social media, videos circulated purporting to show several large blasts in the vicinity of the power plant. (BSS/AFP)