All non-critical infrastructure in the southern Ukrainian city was without power after Russia used Iranian-made drones to hit two energy facilities, according to officials.
Meanwhile, Ukraine's agriculture minister Mykola Solky said there were no plans to suspend grain shipments from Odesa's Black Sea ports due to the latest Russian attack on the region's energy system.
Russia and Iran have increased military and technical cooperation in recent months.
According to an update on Russia's war in Ukraine by the Institute for the Study of War, a US-based think-tank, "Russian forces conducted attacks against critical infrastructure targets in southern Ukraine using a significantly higher number of Iranian-made drones than in previous weeks."
The findings back up an earlier media report by NBC News, according to which "senior US officials stated that Russia is providing an unprecedented level of military and technical support to Iran in exchange for Iranian-made weapons systems, including drones," the latest analysis by the Institute for the Study of War reads.
Since early October, Russia has targeted Ukraine's critical energy infrastructure, including power plants, transmission and distribution facilities and water pumping stations, leaving millions of people without power, heat or water.
(ał)
Source: Reuters, https://www.understandingwar.org/