Massive Russian strikes leave hundreds of thousands without power in eastern Ukraine

A series of overnight Russian drone and missile strikes targeting critical Ukrainian energy infrastructure has left hundreds of thousands of residents without electricity across eastern Ukraine.

According to Ukrainian authorities and grid operator DTEK, severe damage to key facilities cut power to over 600,000 people in the Dnipropetrovsk region and approximately 250,000 in the Kharkiv region. The attacks mark the second consecutive night of intense bombardment on the national power grid, raising concerns over potential winter disruptions to heating and water supplies.

The strikes also impacted the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, forcing the facility onto emergency diesel generators to maintain vital reactor cooling operations. Russia's Ministry of Defence acknowledged targeting Ukrainian energy infrastructure alongside a commercial container vessel.

Sources: France24, La Tribune, Libération, ORF, Tagesschau