Russian drone attacks overnight targeted energy facilities in northeastern Ukraine, officials said Tuesday.
The attacks knocked out power in the Sumy region, where officials said Ukrainian air defenses shot down 16 of the drones.
The assault on Sumy was part of a wider drone attack, during which Ukraine’s military said it shot down a total of 34 of 51 Russian drones.
Intercepts also took place over the Kharkiv, Kherson, Mykolaiv and Poltava regions.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said Tuesday it shot down 15 Ukrainian drones over the Bryansk region, where authorities reported no damage or casualties. Another Ukrainian drone targeted Russia’s Kursk region.
Russia’s military said Monday it reclaimed control of two villages in Kursk, as part of an offensive to push back an incursion by Ukrainian troops that began in early August.
Russia said it retook Uspenovka and Borki, days after saying it took back control of 10 other villages. The situation in the area is difficult to independently verify.
Kursk Governor Alexei Smirnov announced Monday the evacuation of villages in the Rylsky and Khomutovsky districts, which are located about 40 kilometers north of Uspenovka. The announcement, on Telegram, gave few specifics about the reason for the order other than saying it was to ensure security.
Also Monday, Ukraine called on the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross to send teams to areas of Kursk under Ukrainian control to evaluate the situation there.
Russia quickly responded by calling Ukraine’s action a “provocation.”
U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said later in New York that the U.N. is “ready to do it,” but that it would need authorization from Russia to make such a visit.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday ordered his military to expand its number of troops by 180,000, bringing the total to 1.5 million. Putin last called for a troop increase last December.
Some information for this story was provided by Reuters, The Associated Press and Agence France-Presse.
