Andrea Innocenti Overnight on Sunday, Ukraine suffered a series of energy attacks from Russia, affecting power grids in four regions: Dnipro, Vinnytsia, Zhytomyr, and Khmelnytskyi. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported on X that substations, transformers, and transmission lines intended for residential use were targeted, leaving hundreds of thousands of families without power.
The effects of Russian strikes on Ukrainian power grids
Zelenskyy specified that "the intensity of the attacks is extremely high" and indicated a power outage affecting over 200.000 homes in the Dnipro area and more than 80.000 in the Kyiv region. Authorities reported prolonged outages, possibly affecting hot water and heating supplies in many homes.
Reaction of the population and the authorities
Local authorities have initiated emergency protocols, but the severity of the attack has made immediate recovery difficult. Energy experts fear that repairs could take days, worsening the humanitarian crisis during an already critical winter season.
Russian counterattack: drones on Nizhny Novgorod
Meanwhile, Russia reported a "massive" drone attack on an industrial facility in the Kstovsky district of the Nizhny Novgorod region. Governor Gleb Nikitin, via Telegram, said that more than a hundred drones had been neutralized and that the facility had suffered "significant damage," but no casualties were reported.
Authorities have warned that during recovery operations, some residents may experience temporary power outages and a reduction in hot water and heating services. While the specific name of the facility has not been confirmed, the area is home to the NORSI refinery, one of the most important facilities for the production of diesel and aviation fuel.
Connection with the attacks on the refineries
The previous weekend, the Russian regional government of Samara had attributed a drone attack on a refinery in Novokuibyshevsk to Kiev. In response, Kyiv, under international pressure, agreed to suspend attacks on Russian refineries for 72 hours, pending the November 3 US midterm elections.
The geopolitical context and the agreed pauses
The pause agreement, promoted by President Donald Trump , was announced in October, but Russia has continued its bombing operations against Ukrainian energy infrastructure. This dynamic highlights growing tension: on the one hand, Russian forces are trying to weaken Ukrainian production capacity, while on the other, Kiev is using drones to strike strategic Russian targets, targeting key facilities such as refineries and industrial plants.
The balance between military moves and diplomatic pressure remains uncertain, leaving civilian populations in both countries to deal with the consequences of continued energy attacks and air strikes.