On Friday, Russia unleashed a fresh wave of missile and drone attacks across Ukraine, striking power plants and electrical infrastructure. These coordinated assaults triggered widespread blackouts in the capital, Kyiv, and several other cities, marking a continuation of Russia’s long-standing strategy to dismantle Ukraine’s energy grid.
Every autumn since the full-scale invasion in February 2022, Russian forces have deliberately targeted critical electricity and central heating facilities. This calculated timing, just before the onset of severe winter weather, is a clear attempt to break the morale and will of the Ukrainian populace.
In response, Ukraine has significantly bolstered its defenses. Measures include upgrading air defense systems, fortifying transformer stations with robust concrete barriers, diversifying energy sources through new wind and solar projects, and enhancing grid resilience with large-scale backup battery systems. Russia, however, has adapted its tactics, employing increasingly sophisticated drone and missile combinations, launched in waves that can last for hours, to bypass these improved defenses.
Friday’s barrage marked the second major attack on the nation’s electrical grid within a single week, underscoring the renewed intensity of the offensive.
President Volodymyr Zelensky, in a Telegram post, confirmed that Russia launched 450 drones and over 30 missiles during the attack. He reported that more than 20 people were injured across Ukraine, and tragically, a child was killed in Zaporizhzhia in the country’s south. Zelensky emphasized that the strikes targeted infrastructure essential for ‘normal life,’ which, he stated, ‘Russians want to deprive us of.’
Residents in Kyiv and other major cities were awakened overnight by the sound of explosions and the rapid fire of air defense machine guns. Svitlana Hrinchuk, the energy minister, described the events on social media as a ‘massive attack’ on energy infrastructure.
Kyiv’s mayor, Vitali Klitschko, reported that many districts on the eastern bank of the Dnipro River were without power on Friday morning. The attacks also disrupted water supplies, leaving taps dry in several neighborhoods.
Similar blackouts were reported by local authorities in Sumy, located in northern Ukraine, and Dnipro, in the central region of the country.
A 17-story high-rise in Kyiv caught fire after being hit by a drone or falling debris, according to Mr. Klitschko, resulting in nine injuries. Furthermore, debris from intercepted Russian drones landed in the courtyards of residential buildings in the Podil area of the capital.
Beyond the electrical grid, Russia has also focused its attacks this autumn on Ukraine’s natural gas fields, pipelines, and pumping stations. Historically, Ukraine continued to transport Russian natural gas through its pipelines to European customers, even amidst the ongoing war. This arrangement was maintained to avoid alienating Russia’s energy clients in Central Europe, nations that Ukraine simultaneously relied upon for logistical support in moving vital weapons into the conflict zone.
During the period of gas transit, Russia had refrained from striking Ukraine’s gas infrastructure. However, with the commercial arrangement now concluded, and no remaining interest in preserving these pipelines, Russian forces have commenced targeting them this fall. Ukraine’s state gas company recently reported the most significant strike on its natural gas infrastructure since the war began.
Meanwhile, in Washington, President Trump, fresh from celebrating a cease-fire deal between Israel and Hamas, expressed his expectation that his administration would now resolve the war in Ukraine. This development follows Russian officials declaring recent U.S.-initiated peace talks to be at a ‘dead end,’ while Ukrainian officials maintain that negotiations require intensified pressure on Russia to succeed.
Speaking at a meeting on Thursday with Finnish President Alexander Stubb, Mr. Stubb remarked that a settlement in Ukraine would be ‘the next big one,’ noting that Russia was already militarily and economically weakened by the conflict.
Mr. Trump reiterated his confidence in brokering an agreement, stating, ‘We’re going to work it out.’