Ukraine Battles To Restore Power As Russian Strikes Batter Grid Sites

"Ukrainian emergency crews were battling to restore power to northern parts of the country as Russian forces continued to attack crucial civilian infrastructure with drone and rocket attacks, while Ukraine's strategic Pokrovsk region remained under pressure. Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin, speaking in Sochi amid drone alerts in that Black Sea resort city, warned the United States against sending long-range Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine, saying it would bring an entire "level of escalation.""

"Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko wrote on Telegram late on October 2 that power was back on line in the Sumy region near the Russian border following overnight attacks. "The enemy continues to purposefully hit the energy infrastructure. We are working to protect the system from new threats," she wrote. She added that work is continuing in the Chernihiv region to bring back power following Russian shelling on October 1 that had left an estimated 300,000 people without electricity."

"Ukraine's General Staff said at least 133 combat clashes took place along the front lines during the day on October 2, with much of the activity in the embattled Pokrovsk region. Pokrovsk, a city with about 7,000 inhabitants -- down from more than 60,000 prewar -- holds crucial road and rail junctions and has been under threat of encirclement by Russian forces for most of the year. "In the Pokrovsk direction, the invading units tried 36 times to break through our defenses," the General Staff said."

Emergency crews worked to restore power in northern Ukraine after Russian drone and rocket attacks targeted civilian energy infrastructure, with Sumy power restored and Chernihiv still recovering from shelling that left about 300,000 people without electricity. Russian forces continued heavy military activity along the front, with Ukraine's General Staff reporting at least 133 combat clashes on October 2 and intense pressure in the Pokrovsk direction. Pokrovsk remains strategically important for road and rail links and faces threats of encirclement after repeated Russian attempts to break defenses. Russia launched numerous air strikes, guided bombs, and kamikaze drones, and Kyiv denied Russian claims of having entered Pokrovsk while reporting heavy Russian losses.

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