Russia launches largest attack on Ukraine energy infrastructure since spring

What Happened

Russia launched its largest combined attack on Ukraine's energy infrastructure since the end of the last heating season, striking 11 regions overnight and primarily targeting Kyiv and surrounding areas, according to Ukraine's Prime Minister and Serhiy Koretskyi. At least five people were killed, including a child found under rubble in the Kyiv region, with residential buildings, social infrastructure, civilian enterprises, railways and energy facilities hit. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said strikes hit critical infrastructure in Zhytomyr, Mykolaiv, Kirovohrad and Rivne regions. DTEK, Ukraine's largest private energy firm, said power to 8,000 homes in Kyiv had been restored after a 'difficult night'; Ukrenergo advised residents not to use powerful electrical appliances between 10:00 and 16:00 local time as electricity supplies were lower than usual, with outages remaining in Kyiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, Sumy and Kharkiv regions. The Russian defence ministry said one target was the Trypilska thermal power plant, about 40 km from Kyiv, claiming it supplied electricity to Ukrainian defence facilities; plant operator Centrenergo confirmed damage and said it was assessing the scale. Russia's military also claimed it intercepted more than 380 Ukrainian drones overnight over regions including Moscow. Separately, Ukraine's military said it struck Russian military targets, including a drone warehouse in occupied Donetsk, and Ukraine's Third Army Corps said it recaptured several settlements near Lyman in Donetsk this week as part of Operation Vivaldi.

Key Actors

Why It Matters

This is the first mass and combined attack on Ukraine's energy grid since the end of the previous heating season, signalling the start of Russia's expected winter campaign against critical infrastructure. The targeting of the Trypilska plant — the largest supplier of electricity to Kyiv — and widespread regional outages could degrade civilian resilience and defence-related power supply, while Russia's reported interception of 380 drones highlights the scale of reciprocal long-range strikes. Ukraine's counter-offensive near Lyman, Operation Vivaldi, suggests continued localised offensive action despite a largely stagnant front line.

Watch For

Monitor Centrenergo's damage assessment of the Trypilska plant and Ukrenergo's restoration timelines; watch whether Russia repeats combined missile-drone strikes on energy infrastructure in coming days as winter deepens; track the progress of Ukraine's Third Army Corps around Lyman and any broader Operation Vivaldi territorial changes; note any Ukrainian strikes on Russian territory or drone interceptions reported by Russia's defence ministry.