Power outages were reported in the Russian city of Belgorod and nearby districts on Sunday evening following shelling that damaged regional energy infrastructure, according to Belgorod Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov.

Ukraine has intensified its campaign targeting Russian refineries and power systems in recent months.

In a video statement, Gladkov said the attack caused damage to the power grid, with emergency repair teams dispatched to the site. He said that several hospitals had switched to backup generators.

Gladkov did not specify the exact target or extent of the damage, saying regional officials were still assessing the situation. He announced an emergency meeting of the regional government to coordinate the response and promised to update residents within an hour.

Unofficial local Telegram channels earlier reported explosions at the Luch substation in Belgorod, suggesting it may have been hit during the attack, but this has not been officially confirmed.

Ukraine has repeatedly struck Belgorod’s energy facilities throughout 2025. In late September, Ukrainian forces reportedly targeted both the city’s 60-megawatt thermal power plant and the Luch electrical substation, temporarily cutting electricity to parts of the region.

Russia has increasingly launched large-scale strikes on Ukraine’s energy network in recent weeks. On 3 October, Moscow launched one of the biggest assaults on Ukrainian gas infrastructure since the start of the full-scale invasion, striking production and transmission sites across multiple regions.