Heavy fighting continues across eastern Ukraine as energy grid strikes cause widespread blackouts

Heavy combat persisted across eastern Ukraine, with the Ukrainian General Staff reporting over 150 daily engagements, primarily around the Pokrovsk and Kostiantynivka sectors. According to the Institute for the Study of War, Ukrainian counterattacks slowed Russian offensives near Kupyansk and Sloviansk, although Russian troops expanded control south of Dobropillia and claimed localized gains in the Zaporizhzhia region.

Concurrently, Russian strikes targeting Ukrainian energy infrastructure triggered severe blackouts, leaving over 600,000 residents without electricity in Dnipropetrovsk and 250,000 in the Kharkiv region.

Inside Russia, Ukrainian drone strikes on eight oil refineries over two weeks created localized fuel deficits. In response, regional authorities and energy companies, including Rosneft, imposed sales limits at service stations across several regions.

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