MELITOPOL, June 19. /TASS/. After a drone attack on the city of Energodar, which is located next to the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP), the Ukrainian armed forces have begun pounding the city with artillery fire, Vladimir Rogov, chairman of Russia’s Civic Chamber Commission on Sovereignty, Patriotic Projects and Support for Veterans, said.

"After the drone attack, Bandera followers have begun heavy shelling of Energodar, using artillery," he wrote on his Telegram channel.

Later, Rogov said that as of 9:00 p.m. Moscow time (6:00 p.m. GMT), Ukrainian forces had fired seven shells at Energodar.

Energodar’s administration previously said that the blackout hit the city and nearby settlements at 7:27 p.m. Moscow time (4:27 p.m. GMT). Later, Evgeniya Yashina, the ZNPP’s spokeswoman, told TASS that the city was experiencing a power outage after the Ukrainian armed forces’ drones had hit the Luch substation. Yashina emphasized that the outage would have no effect on the operation of the Zaporozhye NPP.

Since early April, there has been an escalation in the Zaporozhye NPP area, as drones belonging to the Ukrainian armed forces have been frequently spotted in the sky, so air raid warnings have been issued, and also Ukrainian troops have been using artillery to shell Energodar. The Ukrainian forces have struck the plant and the city several times.