‘Belgorod region power stations experience explosions following Ukrainian drone strikes’

Two major power stations in Russia have been destroyed amid a suspected Ukrainian drone attack behind enemy lines.

Stunning footage captured during the night showed how the bombing of power plants created a huge inferno that shot high into the night sky.

The destruction of sites in Igomenka and Dragonsko — two villages a few miles from the city of Belgorod — knocked out thousands of people across Russia’s Belgorod region bordering eastern Ukraine, according to Baza media outlets with close ties to law enforcement.

The governor of the Belgorod region confirmed the attack late last night on Telegram.

“In Belgorod and the Belgorod region, two fires were recorded in civilian facilities,” he said, adding that there were no casualties.

The suspected strikes came as Ukraine prepares a counter-offensive to reclaim territory from invading Russian forces.

Two power stations were attacked, cutting power to thousands of residents in Belgorod

The city of Belgorod and the Belgorod region were apparently hit by Ukrainian explosives overnight

The fire at a power station was seen from a passing car following a suspected Ukrainian attack in the Belgorod region of western Russia

The Belgorod region has faced intermittent drone and missile strikes from Ukrainian territory, albeit on a much smaller scale than the regular bombardment that dozens of Ukrainian cities have experienced since the Russian invasion.

But officials in Kiev have also spoken of using sabotage tactics to cause fires and disrupt logistics in Russia.

The chief of intelligence, Major General Kirillo Budanov, knowingly said in a recent interview that there are many unusual explosions and fires on the territory in western Russia.

“A lot of this is not accidental… something is constantly burning (in Russia),” he said, acknowledging that Ukraine was paying Russian saboteurs to damage or destroy key logistical infrastructure and equipment to slow Moscow’s supply routes to eastern Ukraine.

“Signaling equipment on the railways, it lights up several times a day, on different highways constantly for two to three hours, and sometimes for five to six hours, traffic is suspended,” Budanov added.

“Obviously it doesn’t happen like that…. I would put it this way: money works wonders.

Ukraine has been massing its forces over the winter for a supposed counteroffensive in the spring, though there is no telling when and where the attacks are likely to happen.

Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal claimed last week that the counteroffensive would begin in the “near future,” while President Volodymyr Zelensky announced in a televised address this weekend that final preparations are under way.

“The key is the constant destruction of the occupiers, which is done to reduce their logistical capabilities and any potential in the occupied territories. This is preparation for our active operations, this is counter-offensive work.

But the ongoing fighting in the Donbass region, particularly around the besieged city of Bakhmut, is believed to have absorbed an enormous amount of Ukrainian and Russian resources.

The Wagner mercenary group, which has spearheaded many of the Russian attacks in Bakhmut in recent months, claimed on Saturday to have captured more of the city — though Ukrainian defense officials maintain their forces have not been defeated.

US intelligence documents leaked online seem to indicate that Ukraine’s spring offensive may falter amid a shortage of air defense ammunition.

The report also revealed that US planners are skeptical about Ukraine’s ability to launch a counteroffensive this spring, which has been hit hard by “force generation and a lack of sustainability.”

Ukraine’s air defenses could run out within weeks — leaving the country vulnerable to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s fighter jets, according to recently leaked Pentagon documents.

This document appears to show the state of Ukraine’s air defenses in February, and in May when they are expected to be severely depleted

A Ukrainian Su-25 takes flight after an attack on Russian positions in the Donetsk region

Highly Mobility Rocket System (HIMARS) of the Ukrainian army firing near the front line in the northern Kherson region

Russia has so far struggled to control the skies, as Ukrainian anti-aircraft systems and fighter jets have kept Russian warplanes at bay since the first invasion.

But Air Force spokesman Colonel Yury Ihnat warned that Russia might be able to move forward within weeks if Ukraine’s air defenses did not hold. times mentioned.

He said: ‘If we lose the battle for our skies, the consequences will be dire. The Russians will crush every city like they did in Syria.

Our nuclear power plants will also be at risk. We will fight to protect our troops on the front lines.

At present, Buk and S-300 anti-aircraft missiles make up about 90 percent of Ukraine’s air defenses.

Soviet-era technology was complemented by Western-supplied HIMARS, a multiple launch missile system developed for the US Army in the 1990s.

The difficulty, Ihnat said, is how to restock only Russian-produced weapons. He said Slovakia had been able to supply some up to this point.

The ability to install and resupply Ukrainian surface-to-air missiles has been documented as one of Ukraine’s most pressing priorities in order to fend off Russian aggression.

After months of stalemate, the end of winter was expected to bring a new Russian offensive – but experts say the offensive is ‘stalled’.