235 drones downed as power cuts hit Ukraine and Russian refinery damaged

The war in Ukraine continued with long-range air attacks on both sides on Sunday. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy reported that Russian strikes hit power infrastructure in four Ukrainian regions. These strikes left hundreds of thousands of households without electricity. Zelenskiy noted on Telegram that the intensity of the attacks is very high. He said Russia is trying to exploit a shortage of ballistic missile interceptors in Ukraine.

Ukrainian forces responded with their own attacks. Zelenskiy claimed that Ukraine hit the Kamensky plant in Russia's Rostov region. He stated that the site is involved in manufacturing Russian missiles. Moscow did not comment on this specific attack in Rostov. In the Nizhny Novgorod region, Governor Gleb Nikitin reported major damage to an industrial facility from an overnight Ukrainian drone attack. Nikitin did not name the specific site that was hit.

The Nizhny Novgorod region is home to the NORSI oil refinery, one of the largest in Russia. The regional government said it was taking steps to ensure gas stations remain supplied with fuel. They urged motorists to buy fuel only as needed and to avoid panic buying. This warning suggests the damaged facility is linked to oil refining or fuel supply infrastructure. Kyiv did not immediately claim responsibility for the strike on Nizhny Novgorod.

Russian and Ukrainian officials released different counts of the aerial exchanges. Russia's Defense Ministry said its forces downed 235 Ukrainian drones over Russian regions overnight. The Ukrainian Air Force reported shooting down 371 of 433 long-range drones launched by Russia since Saturday evening. The Ukrainian Air Force said dozens of Russian drones were still in the air as of Sunday morning. Six separate drone alerts had been issued in Kyiv since midnight.

The attacks on energy targets have raised tensions regarding a potential ceasefire. On Friday, Russia said Ukraine had resumed strikes on its oil refineries. Moscow accused Kyiv of ignoring a request from US President Donald Trump to stop such attacks. Trump has blamed these strikes for raising diesel costs before US midterm elections next week. Ukraine says it supports a full ceasefire on energy targets, including its own power grid. It claims Moscow is unwilling to agree to this arrangement.

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak spoke on state TV channel Vesti on Sunday. He did not mention the strike in Nizhny Novgorod directly. However, he said Ukrainian strikes on Russian refineries are adding to global fuel market imbalances. He noted that these strikes are affecting prices. A local ceasefire around the Russian-controlled town of Oleshky held for six days. Fighting continued elsewhere along the front line.