Moscow claimed to have captured two more villages in eastern Ukraine on Monday, but tens of thousands of people in Russia’s border areas were affected by power outages caused by Kyiv’s drone attacks. Over two years of fighting in Ukraine has also impacted some border towns in Russia. The Defense Ministry said Russia took the Ukrainian village of Novopokrovske in the Donetsk region, and the village of Stepova Novoselivka in the Kharkiv region.
Russian forces advanced as Kyiv evacuated 700 residents from Toretsk, with 5,000 people remaining in the town. Two women were killed in the frontline town of Ukrainsk, and battles were ongoing in the town of New York. In Russia, more than 200,000 people were affected by power outages and some water shortages after Ukraine’s attacks on the Belgorod region. Putin said Russia has intensified its thrust in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region, creating a buffer against Ukrainian attacks.
The attacks in Russia are causing disruptions, including electricity restrictions and emergency response challenges. Governor Gladkov said that 150 nursery schools were without power, and ambulances were difficult to contact. Authorities in the Belgorod, Kursk, and Voronezh regions are working to address the power outages and related issues. The Kremlin has tried to reassure Russians that the conflict in Ukraine will not significantly impact life at home.
