Ukrainian drone strikes cut power to hundreds of thousands in Russia-occupied southern Ukraine

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian drone strikes damaged energy networks in Russia-occupied parts of southern Ukraine, leaving hundreds of thousands of people without power on Sunday, according to Kremlin-installed authorities there.

Meanwhile, Moscow has kept up its hammering of Ukraine’s energy grid in overnight attacks that killed at least two people, according to Ukrainian officials.

More than 200,000 households in the Russia-held part of Ukraine’s southern Zaporizhzhia region had no electricity on Sunday, according to the Kremlin-installed local governor.

In a Telegram post, Yevgeny Balitsky said that nearly 400 settlements have had their supply cut, because of damage to power networks from Ukrainian drone strikes.

Russia has hammered Ukraine’s power grid, especially in winter, throughout the nearly four-year war. The strikes aim to weaken Ukrainians’ will to resist in a strategy that Kyiv officials call “weaponizing winter.”

Russia targeted energy infrastructure in Odesa region overnight on Sunday, according to Ukraine’s Emergency Service. A fire broke out and was promptly extinguished.

At least six people were wounded in the Dnipropetrovsk region from Russian attacks, the emergency service said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a Telegram post that repairing the country’s energy system remains challenging, “but we are doing everything we can to restore everything as quickly as possible.”

He said that two people were killed in overnight attacks across the country that struck Sumy, Kharkiv, Dnipro, Zaporizhzhia, Khmelnytskyi and Odesa.

In total, more than 1,300 attack drones, 1,050 guided aerial bombs and 29 missiles of various types were used by Russia to strike Ukraine this week, Zelenskyy said.

“If Russia deliberately delays the diplomatic process, the world’s response should be decisive: more help for Ukraine and more pressure on the aggressor," Zelenskyy said.

He spoke the day after a Ukrainian delegation arrived in the United States for talks on a U.S.-led diplomatic push to end the war.

On Friday, Zelenskyy said that the delegation would try to finalize with U.S. officials documents for a proposed peace settlement that relate to postwar security guarantees and economic recovery.

If American officials approve the proposals, the U.S. and Ukraine could sign the documents next week at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Zelenskyy said at a Kyiv news conference with Czech President Petr Pavel. Trump plans to be in Davos, according to organizers.

Russia would still need to be consulted on the proposals.

Separately, in Russia’s Caucasus mountains, two children and an adult were wounded overnight as debris from a Ukrainian drone fell on a five-story residential building in North Ossetia, according to the regional governor.

Seventy people had to be evacuated from the building, in the town of Beslan, and there was damage to its roof and windows, Gov. Sergei Menyaylo said in a Telegram post on Sunday morning.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said that its forces shot down or suppressed 63 Ukrainian drones overnight over Russia and the occupied Crimean Peninsula. One person was hospitalized in Russia’s Krasnodar region east of Crimea following a drone strike, local authorities said.

Ukrainian crews have started repair works on the backup power line connecting the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant to the power grid, under a ceasefire brokered by the International Atomic Energy Agency, the Vienna-based U.N. organization said in an X post on Sunday.

The fate of the plant, occupied by Russia and the largest in Europe, is a central issue in ongoing U.S.-brokered peace talks.

“Crucial repair works on the essential back up Ferosplavna-1 330 kV power line connecting Ukraine’s ZNPP to the grid have begun under another IAEA-brokered ceasefire,” the agency said in the post.

The 330-kilovolt power line, which was damaged and disconnected because of fighting, is crucial to supplying the plant with electricity.

Snow covered, damaged Russian military vehicles are on display in downtown Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

RABAT, Morocco (AP) — Though he didn’t score a goal, Sadio Mané has emerged as the hero for Senegal’s unlikely triumph over host Morocco in the Africa Cup of Nations final on Sunday.

“We knew that today it was important to win this trophy. We all had it in our hearts to win it thanks to Sadio, and we saw what he did today, it’s just incredible,” Lamine Camara said.

The game was on the verge of being called off with furious Senegalese supporters trying to storm the field after a controversial penalty call in favor of the home team deep in stoppage time, just minutes after Senegal had what seemed a perfectly good goal ruled out at the other end.

Stewards were fighting with supporters on the field and some of the Senegal players reacted angrily to comments from the Moroccan substitutes, leading to a melee between rival players on the sideline.

Senegal coach Pape Thiaw then led his players off, suggesting the game might be called off before the penalty could be taken. Fighting was continuing at the other end where a long line of police joined the stewards in holding the Senegal fans back.

Veteran French coach Claude Le Roy, who spoke with Mané on the sideline, reportedly told the two-time African Footballer of the Year it was better for the team to resume the game.

Mané evidently agreed as he got his teammates to return for Morocco’s penalty so the game could resume after a 14-minute delay.

"We were in the locker room," Camara said. “He was the only one who came in shouting, shouting at us to get out there and finish the match. And well, in the end, he was right. We went out, we listened to him because if Sadio talks, everyone listens. We listened to him and in the end it went well for us.”

Édouard Mendy, the Senegal goalkeeper, easily saved Brahim Díaz’s weak attempt of a penalty with what was the last kick of the game.

It then went to extra time, where Pape Gueye scored the winner in the fourth minute by letting fly inside the top right corner.

“What we felt was a bit of injustice,” Gueye said. “Before, we thought we should have had a goal and the referee didn’t go to VAR. Sadio told us to come back on and we remobilized. Édouard then made the save, we stayed focused, got the goal and won the game.”

Senegal had gone closer to scoring in the game with Mané a constant menace for the Moroccan defense, setting up chances for teammates. It took three defenders to stop Mané early on, and more to stop his progress before the half time break.

It was up to Mané to lead the side again in the absence of suspended captain Kalidou Koulibaly, who was missing his second final after the defeat to Algeria in the 2019 decider.

The 33-year-old Mané had said after scoring the winner in the semifinal against Egypt that this would be his last Africa Cup tournament. He has played six and now won two. Thiaw has already appealed for him to reverse his decision.

Few fans remained in the 69,500-capacity Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium to see Mané lift the trophy, but the small band of Senegal supporters could celebrate, while it also kicked off a jubilant party in Dakar.

AP at the Africa Cup: https://apnews.com/hub/africa-cup-of-nations

Morocco's Achraf Hakimi, left, and Senegal's Sadio Mane battle for the ball during the Africa Cup of Nations final soccer match between Senegal and Morocco in Rabat, Morocco, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Youssef Loulidi)

Senegal's Sadio Mane, front, and Morocco's Nayef Aguerd challenge for the ball during the Africa Cup of Nations final soccer match between Senegal and Morocco, in Rabat, Morocco, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)

Senegal's Sadio Mane holds tropy for the best player of the torunament after the Africa Cup of Nations final soccer match between Senegal and Morocco, in Rabat, Morocco, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)

Senegal's Sadio Mane holds the trophy aloft after winning the Africa Cup of Nations final soccer match agaisnt Morocco, in Rabat, Morocco, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)