Russia, Ukraine trade blame over new energy strikes

Hind Al Soulia - Riyadh - KYIV — Russia and Ukraine on Tuesday accused each other of violating a US-brokered agreement to halt strikes on energy infrastructure, as both sides reported new attacks on critical facilities.

The Russian Defense Ministry said Ukraine carried out two attacks Monday. One reportedly hit an electrical substation in the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia region in southeastern Ukraine. A second strike, according to Moscow, targeted a 10 kV high-voltage line in Russia’s Belgorod region, leaving over 1,200 households without electricity in the Grayvoronsky district.

“Regardless of its public statements about its support for the Russian-American agreements on a phased settlement of the conflict in Ukraine, the Kyiv regime continues to unilaterally strike Russia's energy facilities on a daily basis,” the Russian ministry said in a statement.

Ukraine countered with its own accusations. Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said a Russian missile strike early Tuesday hit an energy facility in the southern city of Kherson, cutting power to approximately 45,000 residents.

“After Riyadh, one of the agreements with the US was not to attack energy infrastructure. At the same time, Russia continues to violate this agreement,” Sybiha told reporters during a joint press conference with Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys in Kyiv.

The accusations come after the US successfully brokered two key agreements last month between Moscow and Kyiv.

The first aimed to ensure safe navigation in the Black Sea, while the second involved a 30-day freeze on attacks against energy infrastructure — part of a broader effort to reduce the war’s toll on civilians and stabilize key services.

Despite the deal, both sides have routinely exchanged blame in recent weeks, accusing each other of undermining the truce by continuing to target critical infrastructure. — Agencies