Russia has recently launched the “largest-scale” attack since the full-scale invasion on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, causing multiple regions to experience prolonged power outages lasting up to 16 hours. In response, Ukraine quickly countered with drones, striking Russian energy facilities and cutting off power to approximately 20,000 people in the city of Voronezh.
According to a report from the website “Politico” on Sunday, Ukraine’s national grid operator, Ukrenergo, announced that Russia launched hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles overnight from Friday (November 7) to Saturday (November 8), continuously attacking energy plants across Ukraine.
Centerenergo, a Ukrainian central energy company, confirmed that at one point, Ukraine’s power generation capacity dropped to “zero.”
Ukrainian Energy Minister Svitlana Hrynchuk announced on the social media platform Telegram on Sunday that multiple regions in Ukraine had implemented emergency power cuts and would restore electricity supply once the power system stabilized.
She emphasized that Russia used “extremely difficult to intercept” ballistic missiles in this attack, making it the most direct strike on energy facilities since the invasion began.
According to the Ukrainian Air Force, on Saturday night, Russia launched a total of 458 drones (including “Spectator” attack drones), with Ukraine managing to take down 406 of them. Additionally, the Russian military launched 45 cruise missiles and ballistic missiles, with 9 of them intercepted.
The main targets of Russia’s attack included Kyiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Poltava, Donetsk, Kharkiv, Chernihiv, Sumy, among others, with reports of rumbling explosions in Kremenchuk, Dnipro, Odesa Oblast, and other areas.
Throughout the autumn, Russia has been intensifying its attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, with operations on October 3 and 5 destroying approximately 60% of Ukraine’s natural gas production sites.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha revealed that Russia deployed drones to attack two substations at the Khmelnytskyi and Rivne nuclear power plants in western Ukraine, located about 75 miles and 95 miles from Lutsk, respectively.
He called for an emergency meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Council on the Telegram platform, stating that Russia was deliberately endangering European nuclear safety and demanded a response to these unacceptable risks.
Prior to the recent events, Ukrainian energy expert Oleksandr Kharchenko warned on November 5 during a press briefing that with temperatures dropping to as low as -10 degrees Celsius, if Kyiv’s two main heating plants stopped running for over three days, the capital would face a “catastrophe.”
Despite the heavy losses caused by Russia’s attacks, the Ukrainian energy company emphasized that repair work was being carried out continuously for 24 hours and crisis mitigation was being done by switching energy sources.
Hrynchuk stated on national television on November 8 that the energy situation had “somewhat stabilized,” with most regions in the country experiencing daily power outages of 8 to 16 hours, expected to continue until repairs were completed. Once the system stabilized, regular power rationing of up to 4 hours per day would be reinstated.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky described the attack as “extremely audacious and demonstrative,” mentioning ongoing consultations with the United States to procure Patriot air defense systems.
Following the massive airstrike by Russia, Ukraine swiftly launched a counterattack. Reuters and Agence France-Presse reported that from Saturday night to Sunday, Kyiv immediately deployed drones targeting energy infrastructure in various Russian locations, resulting in power cuts for approximately 20,000 people in Voronezh.
Russian news agency, TASS, claimed that the Russian air defense forces shot down 44 Ukrainian drones on Sunday morning.
In recent months, Ukraine has also been intensifying drone strikes against Russian oil depots and refineries, aiming to disrupt Moscow’s crucial energy exports that fuel its war efforts. Ukrainian actions have successfully triggered fuel shortages within Russia.