Ukraine’s energy network came under a massive Russian assault overnight, killing one woman and forcing emergency power cuts across multiple regions, Kyiv officials said Saturday.
The latest barrage marks a sharp escalation in Moscow’s months-long campaign targeting Ukraine’s heating and power infrastructure—attacks that experts warn could leave millions vulnerable as another harsh winter approaches.
“Once again, the enemy is massively attacking Ukraine’s energy infrastructure,” Energy Minister Svitlana Grynchuk said on social media. “Emergency power outages have been introduced in several regions.”
She assured the public that these outages would be lifted once the system stabilises, vowing: “Despite the enemy’s plans, Ukraine will have light and heat this winter.”
Drone Strikes Hit Kharkiv, Odesa, and Dnipro
Air raid sirens sounded throughout the night as drones and missiles rained down on cities across the country. Authorities in Kharkiv and Odesa confirmed strikes on local energy facilities.
In Dnipro, a drone slammed into a nine-storey residential building, killing a woman and injuring six others, including a child, according to emergency services.
In the capital Kyiv, falling debris from intercepted drones sparked fires in two locations in the central Pechersky district, officials said.
A Winter of Uncertainty: ‘A Technological Disaster’ Looms
Russia has repeatedly targeted Ukraine’s power and heating grid throughout its nearly four-year invasion, destroying large portions of critical civilian infrastructure. Attacks late Friday also hit an energy site in Odesa, though no casualties were reported, regional governor Oleg Kiper said.
The long-term damage is severe. A study by Kyiv’s School of Economics estimates that strikes have shut down half of Ukraine’s natural gas production, the primary fuel used for heating.
Oleksandr Kharchenko, one of Ukraine’s leading energy experts, delivered a chilling warning earlier this week: if Kyiv’s two main power-and-heating plants were knocked offline for more than three days during temperatures below –10°C, the capital could face a “technological disaster.”
Ukraine Hits Back
Ukraine has responded by intensifying strikes on Russian oil depots and refineries in an effort to choke off Moscow’s energy exports.
On Friday evening, drone attacks on infrastructure in Russia’s southern Volgograd region caused power outages there as well, local governor Andrei Bocharov confirmed.
As both sides wage an increasingly energy-focused war, millions of civilians now face a winter overshadowed by uncertainty—and the risk of the lights going out.
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