On Saturday, Russia’s defense ministry reported that Ukraine had intensified its assaults on Russian energy infrastructure, executing 14 strikes within the past 24 hours, despite a moratorium facilitated by the U.S.
In a statement shared on Telegram, the ministry claimed that Ukraine had significantly increased its unilateral drone and artillery attacks on energy facilities in Russian territories.
The ministry noted that these strikes had inflicted damage in the Russian regions of Bryansk, Belgorod, Smolensk, Lipetsk, and Voronezh, as well as in the Ukrainian regions of Luhansk and Kherson, which are partially under Russian control.
Reuters has not been able to confirm the details of these reported strikes.
While Kyiv has not officially responded to the Russian claims, Ukraine’s military previously stated that it ceased attacks on Russian energy sites as of March 18.
Last month, Russia and Ukraine agreed to a U.S.-proposed 30-day moratorium on targeting each other’s energy infrastructure. Since then, both parties have accused one another of breaching the agreement.
This arrangement was part of a broader diplomatic initiative by U.S. President Donald Trump, aimed at resolving the conflict following his return to office in January.
In a separate development on Saturday, officials from two Russian regions reported drone strikes by Ukraine on local industrial sites.
The governor of Mordovia, a region along the Volga River, indicated that Ukrainian drones had targeted an industrial facility, which media sources identified as an optical fiber factory located in the capital, Saransk.
Additionally, the governor of the Samara region, another province along the Volga, reported that a factory in Chapaevsk had come under attack from Ukrainian drones.
A source from Ukraine’s SBU security service informed Reuters that the target was a plant manufacturing industrial explosives, resulting in multiple explosions and fires.
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On Friday, a Russian strike on the Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih resulted in the deaths of at least 19 individuals, including nine children, according to local officials.
Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed the strike was aimed at a military assembly in the city, a statement that was condemned by the Ukrainian military.
