Ukrainian Drones Knock out Two Substations Near Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Station

 A war crimes prosecutor works at a site of a Russian drone attack, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, on the outskirts of Lviv, Ukraine June 19, 2024. (Reuters)
A war crimes prosecutor works at a site of a Russian drone attack, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, on the outskirts of Lviv, Ukraine June 19, 2024. (Reuters)
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Ukrainian Drones Knock out Two Substations Near Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Station

 A war crimes prosecutor works at a site of a Russian drone attack, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, on the outskirts of Lviv, Ukraine June 19, 2024. (Reuters)
A war crimes prosecutor works at a site of a Russian drone attack, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, on the outskirts of Lviv, Ukraine June 19, 2024. (Reuters)

Russian-installed officials said on Friday that Ukrainian drone attacks had put out of action two electricity substations in Enerhodar, the town serving the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station and cut power to most of its residents.

But an official at the occupied Zaporizhzhia station, Europe's largest nuclear plant with six reactors, said it was unaffected by the military action.

On Saturday morning, the Russian management of the station said on their official Telegram channel that some "infrastructure facilities", including the transport department and print shop, experienced disruptions following the attacks.

They said that nuclear safety measures remain fully operational.

Russian troops seized the plant in the early days of the February 2022 invasion and Moscow and Kyiv have since routinely accused each other of endangering safety around it. It produces no electricity at the moment.

Eduard Senovoz, the top official in Enerhodar, wrote on Telegram that the latest attack had damaged the second of two substations supplying the town. The other substation was destroyed on Wednesday, he wrote.

Ukrainian officials have made no comment on the incidents and Reuters could not independently confirm the reports.

Russian news agencies quoted Yevgeny Yashin, director of communications at the Zaporizhzhia station, as saying the latest attack had no effect on the nuclear plant. And he said the substation could be repaired.

"Specialists have gone out to the site to assess the damage," Yashin told RIA news agency. "There is a chance to restore the damaged transformer but it will take time."

Russia launched mass attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure in the first winter of the conflict and resumed a long series of attacks in March.

Kyiv says the renewed attacks have knocked out half of Ukraine's energy generating capacity and forced blackouts.

Ukraine has stepped up its use of drones this year to attack Russian oil facilities. Ukrainian drones struck four Russian oil refineries as well as radar stations and other military targets in Russia in the early hours of Friday, Kyiv's military said.



Death Toll in Petrol Station Blast in Russia's Dagestan Rises to 12

In this photo released by Russian Emergency Ministry Press Service on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, smoke and fire rises after an explosion killed multiple people at a gas station in the suburbs of Dagestan capital Makhachkala in Russia's Caspian Sea region. (Russian Emergency Ministry Press Service via AP)
In this photo released by Russian Emergency Ministry Press Service on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, smoke and fire rises after an explosion killed multiple people at a gas station in the suburbs of Dagestan capital Makhachkala in Russia's Caspian Sea region. (Russian Emergency Ministry Press Service via AP)
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Death Toll in Petrol Station Blast in Russia's Dagestan Rises to 12

In this photo released by Russian Emergency Ministry Press Service on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, smoke and fire rises after an explosion killed multiple people at a gas station in the suburbs of Dagestan capital Makhachkala in Russia's Caspian Sea region. (Russian Emergency Ministry Press Service via AP)
In this photo released by Russian Emergency Ministry Press Service on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, smoke and fire rises after an explosion killed multiple people at a gas station in the suburbs of Dagestan capital Makhachkala in Russia's Caspian Sea region. (Russian Emergency Ministry Press Service via AP)

The death toll in an explosion at a petrol station in Russia's Caspian Sea region of Dagestan has risen to 12, including two children, the emergencies ministry said on Saturday.
The blast, which occurred on Friday outside the regional capital of Makhachkala, also injured 23 people, it said.
Healthcare minister aide Alexei Kuznetsov said that four people remained in hospitals, including one in serious condition, Russian state news agency RIA reported.
According to Reuters, Dagenergo, the regional power operator, said on Friday the blast damaged "energy objects" and that power supply was partially disrupted in nearby districts. An emergency regime was declared in the district, local authorities said.
A local branch of the Investigative Committee, which deals with serious crimes in Russia, said it had opened a criminal case and was establishing the circumstances of the incident.
Local authorities declared Sept. 28 a day of mourning in the region.