Ukraine drone attack causes power outage in Russia

“A Ukrainian drone dropped two explosive devices on a transformer station,” RT quoted Roman Starovoit, governor of the Kursk region, as saying. Starovoit made the statement on Telegram at 5 a.m. local time, shortly after the warning about the activity of the air defense system in the Kursk region.

One of the transformers caught fire after the attack, causing a power outage that affected five residential areas and a hospital, the official said. Authorities have not yet reported any casualties in the incident.

The governor of the Kursk region called on residents to remain calm, adding that firefighters had been dispatched to the scene to put out the fire and that authorities would restore power as soon as the situation stabilized.

On September 29, the Russian military said it had intercepted a total of 10 drones over the Kursk region and another over Kaluga. At the same time, Moscow also repelled a terrorist attack by the Kiev government using drones.

Since Russia launched its military operation in Ukraine in February 2022, border regions such as Kursk, Bryansk and Belgorod, as well as Crimea and Moscow, have been the targets of frequent drone attacks. Russian officials have also accused Kiev of plotting sabotage against its territory – including major infrastructure, including nuclear power plants.

In a related development, the New York Times reported on September 28 that Ukraine’s slowing counteroffensive could pose a serious danger to Kiev, as lack of progress on the battlefield could see Western support dwindle. The newspaper pointed out that in recent months, fighting has continued to rage across the entire front, with both Ukrainian and Russian forces launching attacks.

Meanwhile, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on the same day that Ukrainian forces were gradually gaining ground in the counterattack against Russian forces.

Speaking at a joint press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Mr. Stoltenberg announced that NATO now has overall framework contracts with arms companies worth $2.53 billion to purchase important ammunition.

The official said those contracts would allow NATO members to replenish depleted stockpiles while continuing to supply Ukraine with ammunition, a key element in the counteroffensive against Moscow.