As debates swirl about long-range weapons supplies to Ukraine, a missile strike on a thermal power plant in Russia's Belgorod region has knocked out power and raised questions about whether missiles are extending Ukraine's reach into Russian territory.
Unverified social media footage showed what looked like a powerful missile attack on a power station in Belgorod with a series of loud explosions followed by smoke rising into the sky.
Reuters could not verify the footage and there was no immediate comment from Ukraine whose own power infrastructure comes under regular attack from Russia.
The High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, which has a range of about 45 miles, is believed to have been used in the attack, according to reports. Ukraine's military has not commented, and the Kyiv Independent could not independently verify the details.
"I received a report from Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on X. "I thank our warriors for their precision — our long-range strikes have brought us good results.
"Ukraine is defending itself rightfully, and that is being felt on Russian territory. We are preparing a Technological Staff meeting that will be largely focused on Ukrainian long-range capabilities — specifically, the production of our drones and missiles of various types. Yesterday I spent considerable time speaking with manufacturers; as a result, there will now be concrete tasks for Ukraine's Ministry of Defence and the military."
The city of Belgorod is roughly 25–30 miles (about 40–50 kilometers) from the Ukrainian border, depending on the exact measuring point. It is well within the 43.5-mile range of a standard HIMARS rocket system launched from Ukrainian territory near the front lines in Kharkiv Oblast.
The strike is part of Kyiv's broader campaign targeting Russia's energy infrastructure, a vital source of revenue for Moscow’s war effort. Belgorod, located just across the border from Ukraine’s Kharkiv Oblast, has been a frequent target of Ukrainian strikes throughout the war.
Ukraine's intensified assaults have severely disrupted Russia's oil and gas sector. According to the Financial Times, 16 of Russia's 38 oil refineries have been struck by Ukrainian drones since August, reducing refining capacity by more than 1 million barrels per day and pushing exports below pre-war levels.
Ukraine's missile strike near Belgorod caused widespread power outages in the region, according to Russian Telegram channels and local officials.
Belgorod Gov. Vyacheslav Gladkov confirmed a strike on critical infrastructure and described "significant power outages" across the oblast.
Gladkov said Ukraine had targeted the region's infrastructure, forcing certain facilities to switch to backup power generators and had twice struck the regional capital – Belgorod – with six warheads in total.
Gladkov said Kyiv's forces had shelled other parts of the region, which borders Ukraine, and had launched at least 76 attack drones in the last 24 hours, some of which had been shot down near residential areas.
The Russian Defense Ministry said it had shot down 21 Ukrainian drones over Belgorod overnight.
Gladkov, who posted footage of Belgorod's philharmonic orchestra playing by torchlight during one of the missile attacks, said emergency repair crews had worked through the night to restore power.
President Donald Trump, who has grown increasingly frustrated with Vladimir Putin's attacks while he has been trying to broker peace, has talked generally about increasing sales of long-range missiles to Ukraine to allow them to play more "offense" against Russia as opposed to being limited to playing "defense."
Zelenskyy has asked the United States to sell Tomahawks to European nations that would send them to Ukraine. Vance said Sunday that Trump would make the "final determination" on whether to allow the deal.
"We're certainly looking at a number of requests from the Europeans," Vance said.
Tomahawk missiles have a range of 2,500 km (1,550 miles) and would be a powerful asset in Ukraine's arsenal as it fights back against regular barrages of Russian missile and drone attacks.
Such a weapons delivery would almost certainly be seen by Russia as an escalation in its war in Ukraine.
Information from Reuters and The Associated Press was used to compile this report.
Eric Mack ✉
Eric Mack has been a writer and editor at Newsmax since 2016. He is a 1998 Syracuse University journalism graduate and a New York Press Association award-winning writer.
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