Russian overnight drone strikes on Ukraine's energy infrastructure left about 100,000 people in Kharkiv region without power, water and heating, and killed four people. Ukrenergo imposed rolling blackouts to stabilise the grid while crews work to restart damaged equipment. Deputy Energy Minister Artem Nekrasov warned that simultaneous strikes on generation and transmission equipment "complicate" restoration. Ukraine's retaliatory strikes have also cut power in Russian border regions, affecting more than 20,000 residents.
Ukraine Scrambles to Restore Power After Major Overnight Drone Attacks
Russian overnight drone strikes on Ukraine's energy infrastructure left about 100,000 people in Kharkiv region without power, water and heating, and killed four people. Ukrenergo imposed rolling blackouts to stabilise the grid while crews work to restart damaged equipment. Deputy Energy Minister Artem Nekrasov warned that simultaneous strikes on generation and transmission equipment "complicate" restoration. Ukraine's retaliatory strikes have also cut power in Russian border regions, affecting more than 20,000 residents.
05:43 AM, 11/10/2025Conflict
Ukraine Scrambles to Restore Power After Major Overnight Drone Attacks
Around 100,000 people in the Kharkiv region remained without electricity, water and heating on Sunday after a fresh wave of drone strikes struck Ukraine's energy infrastructure overnight into Saturday, Kyiv officials said.
Moscow, which has escalated strikes on Ukraine's civilian infrastructure in recent months, launched hundreds of drones at energy sites across the country. Restoration Minister Oleksiy Kuleba confirmed that some of the strikes hit parts of Kharkiv region, which includes Ukraine's second-largest city.
"Time is needed to restart the equipment. Currently, around 100,000 consumers remain without electricity, water, and heating," Kuleba said.
Energy Minister Svitlana Grynchuk described the barrage — which killed four people — as "one of the most difficult nights" for Ukraine's power system since the invasion began.
State grid operator Ukrenergo implemented planned rolling blackouts across most regions to rebalance the system and prevent a wider collapse while repair crews work to restart damaged equipment.
In the Poltava region, one of the hardest hit, most power was restored by Sunday but damaged equipment still left parts of the regional capital without electricity, local officials said.
'Complicates restoration'
Deputy Energy Minister Artem Nekrasov said Moscow has changed tactics by striking generation plants at the same time as transmission and distribution networks.
"This complicates the prompt restoration of normal power supply and the normal operation of the energy system," Nekrasov said.
Russia's defence ministry said it targeted "enterprises of the Ukrainian military-industrial complex and gas and energy facilities that support their operation." Ukraine has responded with strikes on Russian energy and oil infrastructure.
Russian local officials reported more than 20,000 people left without power in several border regions after Ukrainian strikes. Belgorod Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said the regional capital's "electricity and heating supply network has suffered severe damage," adding that "several streets are affected by power issues... More than 20,000 residents are without electricity."
In the Kursk region, Governor Alexander Khinshtein said a fire at a power plant in the village of Korenevo cut power to 10 localities, while Voronezh Governor Alexander Gusev reported a fire at a heating facility there.
Moscow's defence ministry reported shooting down 44 drones over the Bryansk region, while the Ukrainian air force said that of 69 drones launched at energy targets overnight into Sunday, 34 were shot down.
The attacks underscore a continued focus on civilian energy systems nearly four years into the conflict, complicating repairs and creating humanitarian pressure as officials race to restore heating and power ahead of colder months.