Russia unleashed a new wave of air strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure early Thursday, targeting gas production facilities and triggering widespread power outages across at least eight regions, Ukrainian officials said.
The latest assault marked another attempt by Moscow to cripple Ukraine’s energy network as winter approaches — a strategy it has employed each year since the 2022 invasion, plunging millions into cold and darkness.
“There are hits and destruction in several regions at once. The operation of a number of critically important facilities has been halted,” — Sergii Koretskyi, CEO, Naftogaz
Ukraine’s state energy operator confirmed emergency blackouts following the strikes, which caused significant disruption to gas supply and power distribution systems.
President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the bombardment, saying Russia was deliberately intensifying attacks on civilian energy infrastructure.
“This autumn, the Russians use every single day to strike at our energy infrastructure,” Zelensky said.
According to Ukraine’s air force, Russia launched 320 drones and 37 missiles in the overnight assault, claiming that 283 drones and five missiles were intercepted.
The attacks were concentrated in the Kharkiv and Poltava regions, where the country’s largest private energy firm, DTEK, reported the shutdown of a key gas production facility.
Ukrainian media outlets reported that nearly 60% of domestic gas output has been disrupted by recent strikes, while ongoing attacks on power stations have left hundreds of thousands without electricity.
The Kremlin insists that its military targets only strategic or military infrastructure, but international monitors and war-crimes investigators have repeatedly contradicted that claim.
Last year, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for two senior Russian military officials, accusing them of war crimes for authorizing attacks on Ukraine’s energy network that inflicted “excessive harm on civilians.”
As Kyiv scrambles to repair damaged grids, officials have renewed urgent appeals to Western allies for more air defence systems to protect critical infrastructure.
In response, Ukraine has stepped up retaliatory strikes on Russian oil refineries and logistics hubs, seeking to blunt Moscow’s capacity for future assaults.
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