Russian strike knocks out power to swathes of northern Ukraine, officials say

(Reuters) -A new Russian attack on the Ukrainian border region of Chernihiv on Monday knocked out power to stretches of territory in the north of the country, including the main town outside the decommissioned Chornobyl nuclear power station, officials said.

The local power company in the region, Chernihivoblenergo, said the latest assault targeted an energy site, but did not identify it.

Yuri Fomichev, the mayor of Slavutych, which lies 45 km (28 miles) west of the Chernobyl plant in Kyiv region, said on Telegram part of the town had lost power in the incident.

The town's water supply system had been switched to reserve power and heating was uninterrupted at sites providing essential services. Emergency crews were working on restoring power supplies.

The head of Kyiv region also said emergency crews were restoring power.

Reuters could not independently verify the reports of the attack, and there was no immediate comment from Russia.

Russian drone and missile attacks in recent weeks have focused on Ukraine's power grid and the gas sector as winter approaches amid no letup in the more than 3 1/2-year-old war.

A barrage on Kyiv and other parts of the country earlier this month knocked out power to more than a million people.

Russian attacks this month forced Ukraine to suspend activities at several major gas facilities, leaving Kyiv in need of more imports. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Monday that Ukraine may import gas worth around $2 billion from Europe, the United States and Azerbaijan this winter.

Chernihiv, north of the capital Kyiv, has been a frequent target of attacks, withstanding at the weekend a strike on an energy target that knocked out power to 55,000 customers.

Other towns in northern Ukraine also reported power disruptions.

An official in Izium, in northeastern Kharkiv region, said parts of his city had been plunged into darkness.

Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko on Monday discussed the resilience of Ukraine's energy system with members of parliament as part of a new body devoted to coordinating work between the assembly, the president's office and the government.

Ukraine has also launched its own long-range attacks on Russian energy targets, including at least 58 attacks on key sites since the start of August.

(Reporting by Ron Popeski and Oleksandr Kozhukhar; Editing by Sonali Paul)