Russia has widened its attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, striking facilities across the country from the south to previously untargeted western regions and triggering fresh power outages, Ukrainian officials said.
The attacks come as Ukraine prepares for colder weather, with Moscow renewing its campaign against power plants and electricity transmission systems in October.
“Unfortunately, the enemy continues to deliberately and systematically attack our energy infrastructure,” Ukrainian Deputy Energy Minister Artem Nekrasov said in a televised statement on Tuesday.
Nekrasov said energy facilities had been struck in the central Kirovohrad region, the western regions of Zhytomyr, Lviv, Rivne, Ternopil and Khmelnytskyi, as well as Odessa in the south. The attacks left some consumers without electricity, he added.
Odesa hit as energy outages spread
Ukraine’s largest private energy company, DTEK, said a Russian attack overnight struck three of its energy facilities in the Odesa region, leaving 32,700 families without electricity.
The widening geographical reach of the strikes has raised concerns about the resilience of Ukraine’s power network as demand for heating increases during the approaching winter.
Repeated attacks on generation and transmission infrastructure have forced Ukraine to contend with damage to critical facilities while trying to maintain reliable electricity supplies for households and businesses.
Zelenskyy says attacks continued despite ceasefire proposal
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Sunday that Russia had attacked Ukraine’s energy, oil and gas sectors dozens of times during the week following US President Donald Trump’s announcement of a halt to attacks on energy infrastructure.
Ukraine has previously said it was ready for an energy ceasefire. Kiev has also urged its allies to provide additional missiles to intercept Russian ballistic missiles, which Moscow uses to strike energy facilities.
The latest attacks underline the continuing vulnerability of Ukraine’s energy system as diplomatic efforts to limit strikes face uncertainty and the country prepares for another winter amid the war.
