Nearly 280,000 Ukrainian homes have been left without electricity after Russian attacks struck power plants, substations, railway infrastructure and gas facilities, President Volodymyr Zelensky has said, intensifying pressure on the country’s already battered energy system.
The strikes hit critical infrastructure across several regions, including a combined heat and power plant in Kyiv, another in Shostka, four electrical substations in the Dnipro region and railway facilities in Dnipro and Kharkiv.
Zelensky also said attackers targeted a gas distribution facility in the Dnipro region.
The impact was particularly severe in central Ukraine, where around 200,000 households in Dnipro and the surrounding region had lost power. More than 80,000 households in the Kyiv region were also without electricity, the president said.
“These Russian strikes have created a difficult situation with electricity supplies across our regions,” Zelensky said.
Read more related news:
‘The fires are burning again’ as Ukraine resumes deadly attacks on Russian refineries
‘15 dead, children among the wounded’ as Russia’s latest attack strikes at the heart of Ukraine’s rail network
Putin issues chilling threat to Britain ‘we are ready for war’ as Russia and NATO edge closer to conflict
The attacks underline the vulnerability of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure as Russia continues to target facilities essential to civilian life and economic activity. Disruptions to electricity supplies threaten households, businesses and public services, particularly as the country faces sustained pressure on its infrastructure.
“The world sees that Russia is deliberately targeting civilian infrastructure every day,” Zelensky said, urging international partners to help prevent what he described as a wider Russian escalation across Europe.
Donald Trump’s attempt to halt attacks on Russian and Ukrainian energy infrastructure is unravelling, as Kyiv resumes strikes on oil refineries while Moscow continues targeting Ukraine’s power network.
The US president has sought to persuade both sides to suspend attacks, apparently hoping to ease pressure on fuel prices ahead of next week’s midterm elections. Energy costs have risen sharply during the Iran war, a major driver of market volatility.
But in his nightly address, President Zelensky accused Moscow of making no effort to de-escalate.
“The Russians have not taken a single step toward energy de-escalation. We will act accordingly and justly,” he said.
Russia, meanwhile, accused Kyiv of defying Trump’s wishes by restarting refinery attacks.
Leave a Comment