Ukraine Missile Strike Set Belgorod Thermal Power Plant on Fire, Causing Partial Blackout

Ukraine struck the Luch thermal power plant in Russia’s Belgorod overnight, causing a fire and a partial blackout in the city, according to Serhii Sternenko, advisor to Ukraine’s Minister of Defense, on July 4.

“As a result of a missile strike overnight, the 'Luch' thermal power plant in Belgorod caught fire. Reports indicate a partial blackout in the city,” Sternenko wrote on X, citing the reported effects of the strike.

Russian authorities confirmed that Belgorod region came under overnight attack but did not identify the affected facilities. Belgorod region Governor Alexander Shuvayev said there were no casualties, adding that infrastructure facilities sustained damage and that power and water supply disruptions were recorded in parts of the city and surrounding settlements.

Russian outlet Astra and several local Telegram channels published videos and photos that they said showed a fire at the Luch thermal power plant.

Local residents also reported widespread electricity outages across multiple districts of Belgorod, while the Telegram channel Pepel Belgorod claimed the attack left much of the city and its surrounding agglomeration without electricity. Those reports have not been independently verified.

The reported strike on Belgorod was part of a broader overnight Ukrainian long-range operation. On the same night, Ukrainian forces struck the St. Petersburg Oil Terminal, one of Russia’s largest oil export facilities on the Baltic Sea, while President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also confirmed successful strikes on military targets in Kronstadt, more than 850 kilometers from Ukraine’s border.

Protect Ukrainian Skies

Subscribe to Sky Defense