Russia and Ukraine traded strikes on each other's energy infrastructure overnight as the Ukrainian city of Dnipro saw a near-total blackout and an oil refinery in western Russia was engulfed in flames after a drone attack.
Emergency power cuts came into force in Dnipro and Dnipropetrovsk Oblast early Friday after damage from Russian attacks, according to Ukrainian private energy company DTEK.
More than 350,000 people were left without power and work is ongoing to restore supply, Oleksandr Hanzha, the head of the military administration in the region, said in a Telegram post.
An oil refinery in the Russian city of Novokuibyshevsk in Samara Oblast that produced jet fuel for the Russian armed forces was set on fire after being hit by a Ukrainian drone.
Late Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukrainian forces had destroyed two Russian Su-34 fighter jets and struck an Iskander missile launcher.
He also warned that Russia was preparing further high-speed missile attacks and urged Ukraine's allies to urgently supply more air defense interceptors, particularly for Patriot systems.
"We now have intel about the Russians preparing new ballistic missile attacks," Zelenskyy said in an evening address from Kyiv. "We need the capabilities to shoot down this Russian evil and are awaiting the decisions," he added, referring to anti-ballistic defense capabilities provided by allies.
Ukraine is facing an acute shortage of interceptors to shoot down incoming Russian ballistic missiles.
Early Thursday, at least 14 people were killed in an attack on a Ukrainian rail platform in Dnipro, while at least six more people died in additional strikes throughout the day, according to officials.
The attacks came as a six-day local ceasefire in Kherson in southern Ukraine appeared to hold for a third day, raising cautious optimism that a broader truce may be possible.
While attempts at a peace deal have so far been unsuccessful, a new round of U.S.-brokered peace negotiations is expected next month in Abu Dhabi. Both sides have emphasized the need for security guarantees.
Tensions have run high between Zelenskyy and President Donald Trump in recent weeks, amid a series of moves by the Trump administration that appeared to favor Russia, including easing of economic sanctions .
Reuters reported Friday that the Pentagon has told NATO allies to tone down public criticism of Russia, citing four people familiar with the matter.
Trump has also accused Ukraine of raising fuel prices ahead of the U.S. midterm elections on Nov. 3 with attacks on Russian energy facilities.
An "energy ceasefire" between Russia and Ukraine announced by Trump on Oct. 11 failed to yield any meaningful outcome.
