Russia damages energy facility in drone attacks on central Ukraine, Kyiv says

KYIV (Reuters) - Russian drones targeted energy infrastructure in overnight attacks on Ukraine's central Dnipropetrovsk and Kirovohrad regions, hitting an energy facility in the latter, Ukraine's military said on Tuesday.

Nine drones were shot down over Dnipropetrovsk region where debris caused two fires in the regional capital of Dnipro, the governor said in a statement on the Telegram messaging app, adding they had both been put out.

But a drone hit a high voltage substation in Kirovohrad region, causing a fire there, the Ukrenergo grid operator wrote on Telegram. The governor said no casualties had been reported.

Air defences were able to down nine out of 10 of the incoming Russian drones, the General Staff said.

Russia has pounded Ukraine's energy facilities in recent weeks, dealing significant damage to the Ukrainian power system and causing blackouts in many regions.

(Reporting by Anastasiia Malenko and Reuters; Editing by Clarence Fernandez, Tom Balmforth, William Maclean)