Nearly.6m without power, heat, or water in Russia

The governor of Russia’s Belgorod region, which borders Ukraine, said on Saturday that 600,000 residents were without electricity, heating and water after a Ukrainian missile strike.

In a statement posted on Telegram, Vyacheslav Gladkov said that work was underway to restore supplies, but that the situation was “extremely challenging”.

Footage filmed by Reuters in Belgorod city showed street lights extinguished.

Belgorod region, which adjoins Ukraine’s Kharkiv region and had a pre-war population of 1.5 million, has come under regular attack from Kyiv’s forces since Russia ordered tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine in February 2022.

Russia has frequently bombarded Ukraine’s power infrastructure, causing rolling daily blackouts, and has also targeted heating systems this winter.