Ukraine and Russia Trade Blows in Ongoing Energy War

Southern Ukraine Faces Blackouts

• Areas under Russian control experienced blackouts after Ukrainian drone attacks.
• Yevgeny Balitsky, Russia-installed governor, reported:
• Over 200,000 homes lost power.
• Damage to energy networks.

Russia Targets Ukraine's Energy Grid

• Overnight attacks targeted the Odesa region:
• Fire sparked but quickly extinguished.
• Dnipropetrovsk region:
• Six people injured from Russian strikes.
• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed:
• Two deaths across multiple regions:
• Sumy
• Kharkiv
• Zaporizhzhia

Zelenskyy's Assurance and Russian Attacks

• Challenges in repairing Ukraine's energy system acknowledged.
• Efforts underway to restore power swiftly.
• Extensive use of drones, guided bombs, and missiles by Russia this week:
• Over 1,300 drones.
• Nearly 1,050 guided aerial bombs.

Diplomatic Moves and Peace Settlement

• Ukrainian delegation arrived in the U.S. to discuss:
• Proposed peace settlement.
• Finalizing documents related to:
• Postwar security guarantees.
• Economic recovery.
• Potential signing at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, next week.
• Russia's input still necessary for any agreement.

Conflict Extends to Russia's Caucasus Region

• Ukrainian drone strike in North Ossetia:
• Two children and one adult injured.
• Debris damaged a residential building.
• 70 people evacuated.
• Russia's Defense Ministry claimed:
• Shot down or suppressed 63 Ukrainian drones overnight.

Crucial Repair Work at Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant

• Ukrainian crews began repairing a crucial backup power line.
• Largest nuclear power plant in Europe currently under Russian occupation.
• Ceasefire brokered by the International Atomic Energy Agency facilitated the repair work.
• Vital for maintaining the plant's electricity supply.