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

Widespread Russian air strikes targeting Ukrainian energy infrastructure have left hundreds of thousands of people without electricity across eastern regions, according to local officials and utility operators.

The attacks caused significant damage to critical facilities, leaving over 600,000 residents without power in the Dnipropetrovsk region and an estimated 250,000 affected in Kharkiv. Energy company DTEK confirmed extensive damage following successive nights of missile and drone bombardments. Off-site electrical disruptions also forced the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant to temporarily rely on emergency diesel generators to maintain vital reactor cooling operations.

Russia's Ministry of Defence stated its forces targeted Ukrainian energy facilities and a commercial container vessel. Ukrainian authorities warned that repeated strikes on grid infrastructure threaten heating and water systems as winter approaches.

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