Air strike leaves 100,000 without power in Ukraine

A significant Russian attack on a power facility in Ukraine has left 100,000 people without electricity in the north-western region of Sumy. This region borders Russia, and the national grid operator, Ukrenergo, is currently working to restore power. The strikes caused emergency power shut-offs for consumers in the city and region of Sumy. Fortunately, there were no reports of casualties or damage apart from the energy facility. Russia continues to target energy facilities across Ukraine, often causing extended blackouts. People are enduring sweltering summer conditions without running water or air conditioning. In June, a Ukrainian mother named Maryna Tkalich was seen kissing her two-month-old baby during a blackout. Ukraine has lost nine gigawatts of generating capacity, according to the national energy company Ukrenergo. This loss includes all of its thermal power plants and damage to all hydroelectric sites due to drone or missile strikes. This amount of power is enough to supply the entire Netherlands during peak hours and represents more than a third of Ukraine's capacity before Russia's full-scale invasion began in February 2022. Poland has been diverting surplus electricity to Ukraine to help cope with the Russian strikes. However, Ukrenergo has scheduled electricity cut-offs throughout the day across the country because domestic generation and electricity imports cannot cover the deficit. Maria Tsaturian from Ukrenergo told the BBC that she is aware of the anger directed at her company for the frequent and prolonged electricity cuts. However, she emphasized that there is no other option. 'We are at war. The energy sector is one of the targets for the Russian terrorists. And it is obvious why: all our life, all our civilization, is built on electricity,' she said. 'This is the price we pay for freedom. ' Meanwhile, Ukrainian air defenses successfully shot down 24 out of 27 Shahed kamikaze drones that Russia launched on the night of July 5-6, according to the Air Force Command's report on Telegram. The drones were intercepted over areas including the Sumy region using electronic jamming and anti-air defenses.