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.