Nearly 60,000 Ukrainians were left without power overnight after Russian drones attacked power plants in the north and south of Ukraine. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has promised to retaliate with more strikes inside Russia.

In the last few weeks, both Russia and Ukraine intensified their airstrikes after three and a half war years. Russia has attacked Ukraine's transport and energy systems while Ukraine has attacked Russian oil refineries.

"We will continue active operations exactly as needed for Ukraine's defense." Forces and resources are ready. Zelenskiy told X that new deep strikes were also planned after meeting Ukraine’s top general Oleksandr Syrsky. He did not give any further details.

DTEK, Ukraine's largest energy company, reported that Russian drones attacked four energy plants in the Odesa area during the night. Local authorities also reported early Sunday morning that 29,000 people had no electricity.

Oleh Kiper said that the city of Chornomorsk was hardest hit, located just outside of Odesa. Both residential homes and administrative buildings suffered damage, he added.

Kiper, a Telegram user, said that "critical infrastructure" was running on generators. He added that one person was injured in the attack.

DTEK Power Company said that emergency repairs would start as soon as it received the go-ahead from the military.

Two anonymous sources said that a civilian bulk ship flying the Belizean flag suffered minor damage in waters near the port's large and strategic importance after it hit an unknown explosive device.

Chornomorsk, one of the three Ukrainian ports that operate in the maritime transport corridor connecting the Black Sea with the Mediterranean, is part of a network linking the Black Sea and the Mediterranean.

The Pope's Ceasefire Call

Viacheslav Chaus, the local governor, confirmed that Russian drones had also struck Ukraine's Chernihiv Region in the north early Sunday morning, causing damage to energy infrastructure. 30,000 homes, including a part of Nizhyn city, were left without electricity.

The Ukrainian military reported that Russia attacked Ukraine overnight with 142 drones and its air defence force managed to shoot down at least 126 of them. The drones only hit 10 locations.

The Russian Defence Ministry claimed that its forces have hit Ukrainian port infrastructure used for military purposes in Kyiv, the capital.

The reports could not be independently verified.

Both sides have intensified their fighting in recent weeks as U.S. president Donald Trump pushes to end the conflict, which began when Moscow launched an invasion in February 2022.

The Kremlin stated on Sunday that European powers are hindering Trump's efforts to achieve peace and that Russia will continue its operations in Ukraine until Moscow sees real signs that Kyiv is ready for peace.

In the last week, Moscow launched two large-scale attacks that killed dozens of civilians while destroying their homes and infrastructure.

The U.S. Special Envoy for Ukraine said that the deadly Russian attacks undermined Trump’s efforts to end this war. Meanwhile, Pope Leo called on Sunday for a dialogue and ceasefire.

Leo told pilgrims at St. Peter's Square that it was time to abandon the logic of war and embrace the path of peace and negotiation with the support from the international community. Reporting by Lidia Kelley in Melbourne, Pavel Polityuk, Yuliia Dyesa and Joshua McElwee, in Kyiv, and Hugh Lawson in Rome. Editing by Hugh Lawson and Gareth Jones.

(source: Reuters)