Massive Russian strike on energy grid prompts widespread power cuts across Ukraine
Ukraine implements comprehensive power cuts in most oblasts after Russia launched 210 missiles and drones on the energy infrastructure across the country.
Ukrainian officials announced emergency power restrictions for 18 November in the most oblasts of Ukraine, following a coordinated Russian attack on power infrastructure across the country on the morning of 17 November.
Russia deployed approximately 120 missiles and 90 drones in the assault, marking the largest such operation since August 2024. More than 140 targets were intercepted, with Ukrainian F-16 fighters shooting down approximately 10 aerial targets.
The attack resulted in over one million consumers losing electricity and damaged power generation and transmission facilities, particularly affecting the oblasts of Odesa, Dnipropetrovsk, Ivano-Frankivsk, Volyn, and Vinnytsia. Only two of Ukraine’s nine operational reactors were functioning at full capacity following the Russian assault.
Two simultaneous rounds of the power outages will be implemented from 6:00 to 22:00, according to Ukrenergo, the national power utility.
The measures will affect both industrial and residential consumers. The emergency crews in Odesa, southern Ukraine, continue restoration work, with gradual power reconnection underway.
Extensive utility disruptions included partial outages of heating, electricity, and water supplies. The assault resulted in the deaths of two Ukrenergo workers and injuries to a 17-year-old boy.
In response, Odesa Governor Oleh Kiper announced that all educational institutions in the city would be closed on 18-19 November, with emergency daycare groups available in preschools and schools. Additionally, 674 “Points of Invincibility” (emergency support centers) have been activated, with 138 more ready to open if necessary.
Local power companies in western Ukraine, including Zakarpattia, Volyn, Lviv, Ternopil, and Ivano-Frankivsk regions, have announced the cancellation of scheduled outages in their territories.
The previous attack of this scale occurred on 26 August, when Russian forces deployed 236 combined drones and missiles against Ukraine and affected approximately 8 million households.
The November 17 strike represents the tenth major attack on Ukraine’s energy system, according to grid operators.
Since October 2022, Russian forces have conducted over 1,000 strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, resulting in the loss of 9 gigawatts of generating capacity in 2024 alone.
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