2 people killed in Ukraine’s Odesa region as Russia continues to target power grid

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KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — At least two people were killed in a drone attack in Ukraine’s southwestern Odesa region, authorities said Sunday. Meanwhile, Russia and Ukraine continued to target each other's infrastructure.

A Russian drone attack on a car park in the Odesa region, on Ukraine’s Black Sea coast, in the early hours of Sunday killed two people, according to the State Emergency Service. Odesa regional head Oleh Kiper said that three others were wounded.

Tens of thousands of homes were left without power after Russia attacked the front-line Zaporizhzhia region overnight with drones and missiles.

Zaporizhzhia regional head Ivan Fedorov said nearly 60,000 people faced power outages and that two people were wounded in the attacks. He posted photos on Telegram of buildings reduced to rubble.

As a result of attacks on Ukraine’s power grid, several regions faced rolling power cuts on Sunday, Ukraine’s national energy operator, Ukrenergo, said.

Ukraine’s Energy Ministry said Sunday that the partially occupied Donetsk region was without electricity, as well as parts of the Zaporizhzhia, Kharkiv, and Chernihiv regions.

The strikes were the latest in Russia’s sustained campaign on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure as winter temperatures approach.

Ukrainian cities use centralized public infrastructure to run water, sewage and heating systems, and blackouts stop them from working.

Attacks aim to erode Ukrainian morale as well as disrupt weapons manufacturing and other war-related activity almost four years after Russia’s full-scale invasion of its neighbor.

Analysts and officials say Moscow has shifted tactics this year, targeting specific regions and gas infrastructure.

The attacks have grown more effective as Russia launches hundreds of drones, some equipped with cameras that improve targeting, overwhelming air defenses — especially in regions where protection is weaker.

In Russia, a Ukrainian drone strike set an oil tanker and infrastructure ablaze at Tuapse port, regional officials said Sunday.

Images on social media appeared to show flames engulfing terminal structures and a tanker at the Black Sea port, with multiple blazes visible across the port area. The Associated Press was unable to independently confirm the footage.

A Ukrainian intelligence official told the AP that Ukrainian forces struck a tanker, loading infrastructure and port buildings.

The official said five drone strikes were recorded and the operation was carried out by special forces of Ukraine’s Security Service and other defense forces. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to disclose operational details.

Local Russian authorities said “two foreign civilian ships” were damaged.

Tuapse is home to a major oil export terminal and a refinery belonging to state-owned Russian oil company Rosneft.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said long-range strikes on refineries inside Russia have reduced Moscow’s oil refining capacity by 20%, citing intelligence from Western governments.

Oil exports play a key role in funding Russia’s invasion of its neighbor Ukraine. While Ukrainian weapons take aim at the refineries, new sanctions from the U.S. and the European Union are aiming to cut into Moscow’s oil and gas export earnings.

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