Frontline fighting slows as Russian infrastructure strikes trigger outages across Ukraine

Intense fighting persists across Eastern Ukraine, with over 150 combat engagements reported within 24 hours. Russian forces are attempting advances on the Pokrovsk and Kostiantynivka axes, though independent analysts note their momentum near Sloviansk and Kupyansk has stalled due to Ukrainian counterattacks. However, Russian troops have widened their control south of Dobropillia and claimed a new settlement in Zaporizhzhia Oblast.

Concurrently, Russian strikes targeting Ukrainian energy infrastructure have triggered broad blackouts. Over 600,000 residents in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast and 250,000 in Kharkiv Oblast were left without electricity, alongside severe heating disruptions in Kyiv and Zhytomyr Oblast.

Inside Russia, several regional authorities implemented fuel sales restrictions following Ukrainian drone strikes against eight major oil refineries over a two-week span.

Sources: Belsat, NEXTA, The Insider, Радіо Свобода, Українська правда.