The Russian city of Belgorod was hit overnight Sunday in what Belgorod Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov described as “the most massive” strike on the city to date.
In a Telegram post, Gladkov said energy facilities were struck, attributing the damage to the U.S.-made HIMARS rockets. He said emergency crews had been dispatched to assess the situation, and preliminary reports indicate no casualties.
Reports stated that among the targets was the Belgorod Thermal Power Plant (TPP), which produces an average of 395.6 million kWh of electricity annually. Independent outlet Astra reported “at least 50 explosions” and widespread power and water outages across several districts following the strikes.
🚀 Belgorod, the moment HIMARS MLRS struck the thermal power plant! pic.twitter.com/FtYVWN6EPb
— MAKS 25 🇺🇦👀 (@Maks_NAFO_FELLA) January 24, 2026
According to an update from Gladkov, “24 munitions” were launched at Belgorod overnight.
“During the massive shelling, 24 munitions were fired at Belgorod. Energy facilities and nine vehicles were damaged,” he wrote on Sunday. “Emergency Ministry personnel also extinguished a fire in an outbuilding on a private property.”
Gladkov added that the attacks have also struck several districts in Belgorod Region, including Borisovsky, Valuysky, Volokonovsky, Grayvoronsky, Krasnoyaruzhsky, and Shebekinsky.
Belgorod Oblast borders Ukraine’s Sumy, Kharkiv, and Luhansk regions and is frequently used as a staging ground for Russian attacks on Ukrainian territory.
In September, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that Ukraine would retaliate against Russia’s energy sector if Moscow continued targeting Kyiv’s power grid.
In recent weeks, Russia has intensified its assault on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, repeatedly striking the country’s power grid, gas facilities, and heating systems amid persistently freezing temperatures.
This is not the first strike on the Belgorod TPP. In September 2025, Ukrainian Defense Forces targeted the plant, triggering a power outage that left half of the city without electricity.
