Two key electricity supply stations in Russia have been destroyed amid a suspected Ukrainian drone attack behind enemy lines.
Stunning footage taken overnight showed how the bombing of the power stations had created a huge inferno which spiralled high into the night sky.
The destruction of the sites in Igumenka and Dragunskoe - a pair of villages a few miles from Belgorod city - left thousands without power across the Belgorod region of Russia which borders eastern Ukraine, according to Baza media outlet which has close links to law enforcement.
Belgorod's regional governor confirmed the attack late last night in a Telegram post.
'In Belgorod and the Belgorod region, two fires were recorded at civilian facilities,' he said, adding there had not been any casualties.
The suspected strikes came as Ukraine is reportedly preparing a counteroffensive to grab back territory from invading Russian forces.

Stunning footage taken overnight showed how the bombing of the power stations had created a huge inferno which spiraled high into the night sky
Two power stations were attacked, severing the electricity supply to thousands of residents in Belgorod
City of Belgorod and Belgorod region were seemingly hit by Ukrainian explosives overnight
A power station is seen ablaze from a passing car following a suspected Ukrainian attack in Russia's western Belgorod region
The Belgorod region has faced intermittent drone and missile strikes from Ukrainian territory, albeit on a far smaller scale than the regular bombardment suffered by dozens of Ukrainian cities since Russia invaded.
But officials in Kyiv have also spoken of using sabotage tactics to cause fires and disrupt logistics in Russia.
Intelligence chief Major-General Kyrylo Budanov said knowingly in a recent interview that territory in western Russia was seeing many unusual explosions and fires.
'Much of this is no accident... Something is constantly on fire [in Russia],' he said, admitting that Ukraine was paying Russian saboteurs to damage or destroy key infrastructure and logistics equipment to slow down Moscow's supply routes into eastern Ukraine.
'Signalling equipment on railways, it lights up several times a day, on various highways constantly for two to three hours, sometimes for five to six hours, traffic gets suspended,' Budanov added.
'Clearly it doesn't just happen like this…. I would put it this way: money works wonders.'
Ukraine has been building its forces over winter for a supposed spring counteroffensive, though there is no telling exactly when or where the attacks are likely to take place.
Prime minister Denys Shmyhal claimed last week the counteroffensive would start in the 'near future', while President Volodymyr Zelensky declared in a televised address this weekend that final preparations were being made.
'The key is the constant destruction of the occupiers which is done to downgrade their logistic capabilities and any potential in the occupied territories. This is preparation for our active operations, this is counteroffensive work,' he said.
But constant fighting in the Donbas region, particularly around the embattled city of Bakhmut, is thought to have absorbed a huge amount of both Ukrainian and Russian resources.
The Wagner mercenary group, which has been leading much of the Russian offensives in Bakhmut in recent months, claimed on Saturday to have captured more of the city - though Ukrainian defence officials maintain their forces have not been defeated.