Ukraine updates: Government overthrow plot foiled — SBU – DW – 07/01/2024

Drone strikes have disrupted electricity and gas supplies and damaged telephone lines in the Russian region of Belgorod, bordering Ukraine, according to Belgorod governor Vyacheslav Gladkov.

“There is damage to phone cables, to the gas and electricity supply. Electricity has been cut in a string of villages,” Gladkov posted on his Telegram channel.

He mentioned Grayvoron and Krasnaya Yaruga, west of the city of Belgorod, and Shebekino, southeast of the regional capital. All three settlements are near the border with Ukraine. 

Local media reported that Belgorod itself and the town of Oskol, northeast of Belgorod, were also affected. They attributed the blackout to a damaged substation.

In the Kursk region, which borders Ukraine and the Belgorod region, governor Alexei Smirnov warned that “due to technical issues on power lines in neighbouring regions, a deficit of electricity capacity could arise in the Kursk region.”

The Kursk region came under drone attack overnight, with air defenses shooting down seven Ukrainian drones, Smirnov said. 

dh/msh (AP, AFP, dpa, Reuetrs)