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Energy grid back in the crosshairs

Ukraine's energy infrastructure was once again hit by large-scale Russian attacks overnight. Ukrainian Prime Minister Serhiy Koretskyi said it was the biggest strike on energy facilities since spring. Kyiv and the surrounding area were among the main targets, while 11 regions across the country were reported to have come under fire.

Koretskyi said, “A combined attack on this scale has happened for the first time since the end of the last heating season.”

Power plant damage and outages

The Russian Defense Ministry said one of the targets was the Trypilska thermal power plant, about 40 kilometers from Kyiv. The plant's operator, Centrenergo, said the facility was damaged and that the extent of the damage was being assessed. The Russian side claimed the plant supplied electricity to Ukrainian defense facilities.

DTEK, the country's largest private energy company, said 8,000 households had their power restored in the capital after a “difficult night.” Even so, Ukraine's Energy Ministry said that as of Wednesday, some households in the Kyiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, Sumy and Kharkiv regions were still without electricity.

Officials warn of higher consumption

Ukrenergo, the state grid operator, said supply remained below normal and urged residents not to use high-energy appliances between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. local time. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also said critical infrastructure sites in the Zhytomyr, Mykolaiv, Kirovohrad and Rivne regions were hit.

  • Regions where power cuts continued included Kyiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, Sumy and Kharkiv.
  • Regions reported to have had critical infrastructure targeted were Zhytomyr, Mykolaiv, Kirovohrad and Rivne.

Deaths and smoke warnings in the capital

Officials said at least five people were killed in the overnight strikes across the country. Among the dead was a child pulled from the rubble of a house in the Kyiv region. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said one of the fatalities in the capital was a utility company worker.

One person was also reported killed in the southern Mykolaiv region. In Sumy, regional authorities said two people were killed on Tuesday and that a school was hit in a separate attack.

Residents of Kyiv woke up to a thick, sharp-smelling layer of smoke covering the city after explosions overnight. With the air raid alert still in place in the capital, some neighborhoods were advised to keep windows closed until the smoke cleared.

Claims and counterclaims over the fighting

The Russian Defense Ministry said it had carried out large-scale strikes on facilities in Ukraine overnight, while also claiming that more than 380 Ukrainian drones were intercepted over various regions, including Moscow. The claim could not be independently verified.

The Ukrainian military, meanwhile, said several Russian military targets were hit in occupied Donetsk region, including a drone depot. While there was no major change on the front line, Ukraine's Third Army Corps said some settlements near the town of Lyman in Donetsk were recaptured this week under Operation Vivaldi. Zelenskyy also visited troops in the region on Wednesday.

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