In a series of escalating attacks, Ukrainian strikes have disrupted power and heating systems in two major Russian cities near the Ukrainian border, according to local officials. The incidents occurred over the weekend, with drone and missile strikes targeting infrastructure in Voronezh and Belgorod. Voronezh, a city with a population of over 1 million, experienced temporary blackouts and heating cuts after a drone strike caused a fire at a local utility facility. Meanwhile, Belgorod, home to around 340,000 people, suffered significant damage to its power and heating systems, affecting approximately 20,000 households. These strikes are part of a broader pattern of reciprocal attacks on energy infrastructure between Russia and Ukraine, as U.S.-led diplomatic efforts to end the nearly four-year conflict have failed to make progress. Russia’s defense ministry reported intercepting 44 Ukrainian drones in southwestern regions but did not mention the affected cities. The ongoing conflict continues to strain both nations, with Ukraine targeting Russian oil refineries to cut off Moscow’s war funding, while Russia aims to cripple Ukraine’s power grid, a strategy Kyiv officials describe as an attempt to ‘weaponize winter.’