An overnight air attack on Russia’s Belgorod region knocked out electricity for 556,000 people, with roughly the same number losing heating. Nearly 200,000 residents were left without water and sewage services, local authorities said.
Belgorod Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said as of 6 a.m. on January 9 that the attack targeted utility infrastructure. He added that heating was cut in 1,920 apartment buildings. Emergency crews were deployed and backup capacity was being brought online.
A missile alert was issued for Belgorod city and the wider region at 11:02 p.m. At 11:24 p.m., the governor reported a missile strike on Belgorod and “serious damage” to infrastructure facilities; there were no immediate reports of casualties, he said. The alert was lifted at 11:55 p.m.
Residents reported power outages in parts of the city around 11:09 p.m. People in the Rakitnoye and Belgorod districts also reported emergency power cuts, with some saying they were stuck in elevators during the alert.
In the neighboring Oryol region, Governor Andrey Klychkov said overnight that infrastructure was damaged following shelling shortly after a missile alert was issued there. “Systems for water and heat supply are being restarted in the city’s Zavodskoy, Severny and Zheleznodorozhny districts. In the Sovetsky district, a drop in heat-carrier levels is expected within a few hours,” he said.
Ukraine had not commented on the overnight attack on Russia at the time of publication.
Power cuts have hit Belgorod before. On September 28, 2025, a strike on a thermal power plant caused disruptions to electricity and water supplies, local outlets reported.
After an October 11 strike on the Luch CHP plant, Governor Gladkov said power was out in Belgorod but did not provide a reason.
Explosions were reported in Belgorod and Voronezh on December 10, followed by temporary blackouts.
In the early hours of December 15, Gladkov said missiles struck Belgorod and damaged utility infrastructure; social media posts said parts of the city lost power.
