Russian strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure have caused new power outages and affected the operation of power plants and substations. More than 20 attacks on energy facilities have been recorded in the past 24 hours alone, Ukraine’s electricity transmission system operator reported.
During the night of November 3-4, Russian forces launched 310 drones at Ukraine. The Ukrainian Air Force said that 272 of them had been shot down or neutralized through electronic warfare. Strikes were recorded in Kyiv and the regions of Khmelnytskyi, Kirovohrad, Odesa, Volyn, Ternopil and Zhytomyr.
Russia’s Ministry of Defense claimed that the Nalyvaikivka substations in Kyiv region and Chyzhivka in Zhytomyr region had been hit. Ukrainian authorities reported damage to energy facilities and significant power outages in the central and western parts of the country.
Emergency outages in nine regions
President Volodymyr Zelensky said that emergency power outages had been introduced in Kyiv and the regions of Zhytomyr, Chernihiv, Sumy, Poltava, Kharkiv, Cherkasy, Vinnytsia and Donetsk. According to him, repeated Russian attacks are slowing repairs and the restoration of the energy system.
First Deputy Energy Minister Artem Nekrasov said that damage to the grid had forced Ukrainian nuclear power plants to reduce their generating capacity. This limits the possibilities for compensating for the damage to the country’s other energy facilities.
The American news agency Associated Press reported that the attacks had caused disruptions to electricity and water supplies in Kyiv and surrounding areas. A fire broke out at a shopping center in Odesa region, while a woman was injured in Rivne region.
ISW: The goal is long-term weakening
The Institute for the Study of War assesses that the Russian campaign during the winter of 2026-2027 is targeting critical substations and smaller facilities that directly affect electricity transmission. A Kremlin-linked Russian military blogger described the approach as “more systematic and rational” strikes aimed at the “strategic weakening” of Ukraine.
According to the institute, the current campaign repeats the pattern from the winter of 2025-2026, when the goal was to undermine the country’s energy security and industrial capacity. At that time, according to assessments cited by ISW, around 80 percent of Ukraine’s electricity generation capacity was damaged or destroyed.
ISW warns that similar consequences are possible this winter if Ukraine fails to defend itself against daily massive drone and missile attacks. The institute describes additional Patriot missiles, other air defense assets and support for restoring the grid as crucial to the country’s resilience.
Use of a Filin missile reported
A Russian military blogger claimed that an energy facility near Dubrovytsia in Rivne region had been struck with the new Filin cruise missile. The claim that the missile was used specifically has not been independently confirmed.
Ukraine’s Main Directorate of Intelligence stated that the Filin has a maximum speed of up to 800 kilometers per hour and a range of up to 1,200 kilometers. The missile is launched from a ground-based launcher with a solid-fuel booster and can carry a 50- or 100-kilogram warhead.
Sources: news.bg, apnews.com, hromadske.ua