Russia has continued its assault on Ukrainian energy infrastructure, with drones and missiles targeting facilities throughout the country early on July 20.
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Kharkiv region Governor Oleh Synyehubov said Iskander missiles killed two people and injured three in the eastern region.
Ukraine’s Air Force said that its air defenses shot down 13 of 17 Russian drones across five regions.
But officials in the Sumy and Chernihiv regions reported that Shahed suicide drones struck and damaged energy facilities in the northern territories.
The national grid operator Ukrenerho said an energy facility in the central Poltava region was also reportedly struck.
Thousands of people have been left without power or running water in the Poltava region, according to Governor Filip Pronin.
In recent months, Russia has increasingly targeted Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, leading to blackouts across the country and considerably reducing Ukraine’s capacity to produce electricity.
Following recent discussions with Ukrainian officials, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi told the German news agency dpa on July 20 that the UN has seen an increase in the number of Ukrainian refugees over the past few months.
"They are worried to have to face winter -- or even this very hot season -- without power," Grandi said.
On July 20, Ukrainian officials also announced a higher death toll resulting from a Russian missile strike that hit a children’s playground in the southern city of Mykolayiv.
The number of people killed in the attack has risen to four, including one child, according to Mayor Oleksandr Syenkevych.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, commenting on the attack in a Telegram post on July 19, called on the world to take action to help Ukraine defeat the all-out Russian invasion launched in February 2022.
“This destruction of life must be stopped,” Zelenskiy wrote. “We need new solutions to support our defenses. Russia must feel the power of the world.”