Tens of thousands left without power as Russia and Ukraine hit each other’s energy infrastructure
After one of Russia’s most severe series of energy attacks, Ukraine carried out targeted strikes on Russian border regions. Drone attacks on Russian power plants and substations left tens of thousands temporarily without electricity, with winter approaching. The operation may have been a response to Russia’s earlier strikes that disrupted power in multiple Ukrainian regions.
Ukrainian officials: This was the most severe Russian energy attack to date
The Russian Ministry of Defence said it carried out a “massive strike with high-precision, long-range air, ground, and sea-based weapons” on weapon production, gas, and energy facilities, in response to earlier Ukrainian attacks.
The attacks killed at least six people, including two in Dnipro, where a residential building was hit, and twelve were injured. Three more died in Zaporizhzhia. A total of 25 locations were struck, with power outages affecting the capital Kyiv and several regions, including Poltava and Kharkiv. The Ukrainian government quickly began repairs, but much of the population spent the night in darkness and cold.
Ukraine’s Energy Minister, Svitlana Hrynchuk, called it “one of the most difficult nights” since the full-scale war began.
“The enemy inflicted a massive strike with ballistic missiles, which are extremely difficult to intercept. Since the beginning of the war, there has hardly been a case where so many direct hits struck energy facilities,” Hrynchuk said.
Ukraine’s energy companies DTEK and Centrenergo reported that power generation in all their thermal power plants had stopped due to the Russian missile and drone attacks. The companies described the destruction as “unprecedented” on Telegram and Facebook.
“We have stopped. Now there is zero generation. Zero! What we had been restoring around the clock, we have completely lost.”
DTEK added that its thermal power plant suffered “serious damage,” marking the 211th attack on its energy facilities since the start of the war. Ukrenergo forecasts 8–16 hours of power outages in most regions while repairs are underway.
“We are assessing the aftermath and coordinating the necessary steps to find alternative power sources and restore electricity and heating as quickly as possible,” Hrynchuk said in a television statement.
Ukraine’s counterstrike: power outages in Russia
On the night of 9 November, Ukrainian drone attacks targeted Russian border regions, including Belgorod, Voronezh, and Kursk. According to international media reports, tens of thousands of households were temporarily without electricity and heating, while some power plants caught fire and repairs took several hours.
The Russian Defence Ministry’s statement made no mention of either the Voronezh or Belgorod regions; it reported that a total of 44 Ukrainian drones were destroyed or intercepted overnight. According to local governor Alexander Gusev, no one was injured and services were quickly restored, but the incident highlighted that civilian infrastructure in Russia’s border regions is also exposed to the risks of war.
The fourth winter of the war could bring new risks
According to Reuters, Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry says Russia is deliberately endangering nuclear safety, as several substations supplying power to two nuclear plants were hit.
“These were not accidental but carefully planned strikes. Russia is deliberately endangering Europe’s nuclear safety,” said Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha on X.
Kyiv therefore called for an emergency IAEA meeting, emphasising that attacks on energy infrastructure create not only economic and logistical problems, but also serious humanitarian and nuclear risks.
Although Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov recently indicated he is willing to negotiate with the United States, both sides continue to insist on their political and territorial demands, complicating a quick resolution to the conflict.