Upon waking up, Ukraine suffered a 'nuclear-level' strike—Russia has finally woken up!

At this pace of attacks, Ukraine won’t last more than two weeks. What makes winter especially unbearable isn’t just the dropping temperatures—but having no electricity, no running water, and no heating. On November 7, Russia launched a new large-scale assault on Ukraine, with energy infrastructure as its primary target. Cities including Kyiv quickly plunged into blackouts, while water supply and heating were also severely disrupted. According to figures released by Ukrainian authorities, Russian forces launched 172 drones and 36 ballistic missiles—the latter mainly aimed at Kyiv and Kyiv Oblast. President Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine’s air defense systems intercepted four of those missiles. This number does not mean the remaining missiles all hit their targets—but it does clearly indicate the immense pressure Ukrainian air defenses face when countering high-intensity strikes. Damage extended far beyond power generation facilities. Ukrainian sources disclosed that a thermal power plant in Kyiv Oblast, along with multiple 750-kV and 330-kV substations, had been struck. Transmission lines supplying central Ukraine from the Rivne and Khmelnytskyi nuclear power plants were also affected. With both generation and transmission infrastructure simultaneously compromised, Ukraine’s power grid is like a body whose vital joints have been repeatedly severed: even as crews rush to repair one node, another may collapse. On the morning of November 8, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported an extremely dire power situation in the capital, with water supply and heating also severely impacted. In Zhytomyr, over 310,000 households lost power, and more than 100 residential buildings lost heating; in Pavlohrad, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, over 600,000 people were left in darkness. Emergency blackouts were also implemented in Kharkiv, Sumy, and Poltava. For residents living in high-rise apartments, power outages rapidly cascade into a chain of complications. Water pumps stop working, leaving only a trickle from faucets; circulation pumps fail, causing radiators to gradually cool. Emergency charging points have been set up at metro entrances, where residents queue to charge their phones; generators and fuel have become scarce commodities. When temperatures hover around freezing, elderly people, children, and those with mobility impairments are usually the first to feel the cold. Some observers have dubbed this round of strikes 'nuclear-level'—not because nuclear weapons were used, but because of the scale and severity of the impact on Ukraine’s energy system. Widespread blackouts across Kyiv Oblast have been rare since the start of the Russia-Ukraine war; and the combined loss of electricity, water, and heating affects far more than daily life. Electricity is also essential for railway signaling, defense-industry production, telecommunications, and frontline equipment operation. Drones require charging; factories need stable power; transportation networks depend on electricity.

‘Bombed! Bombed again! And bombed once more! Six major Ukrainian power plants—all destroyed!’

Ukrainian sources provided more specific details. The Kaniv Hydroelectric Power Station in Cherkasy Oblast was struck by two Iskander-M ballistic missiles; the Zmiyivska Thermal Power Plant in Slobodianske, Kharkiv Oblast, was hit by approximately five Iskander-M missiles. Kharkiv City’s TEC-5 Thermal Power Plant sustained attacks from four Iskander-M missiles and six KAB glide-guided bombs. The Pridniprovska Thermal Power Plant in Dnipro City was struck by as many as six Iskander-M missiles and four KN-23 ballistic missiles. Additionally, the Kryvyi Rih Thermal Power Plant in Zelenodolsk, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, was hit by two Iskander-M missiles; the Radyn Thermal Power Plant in Vinnytsia Oblast reportedly came under attack by about four Zircon hypersonic cruise missiles. Ukrainian authorities also expressed concern that up to 70 Kh-101 cruise missiles could soon strike energy infrastructure in western Ukraine. While Russia claimed to have hit “four thermal power plants and two substations,” Ukraine described the assault as targeting “six core power-generation facilities.” Though terminology differs, both sides point to the same strategic shift: Russian forces are shifting their focus from frontline positions to Ukraine’s rear-area energy, transportation, and industrial infrastructure. The consequences of this wave of attacks quickly rippled into everyday urban life. A hospital in Kharkiv was struck, with Ukrainian authorities reporting 73 injured. As early as October 28, Kyiv Mayor Klitschko stated that Kyiv no longer possessed sufficient independent power-generation capacity. By November 3, the city’s metro had shut down and tram services halted—leaving this metropolis of roughly three million people increasingly reliant on externally supplied electricity. The problem, however, is that external electricity doesn’t end at the border—it must pass through substations before reaching homes and factories. Russian drones repeatedly target precisely these critical nodes. Wave after wave of Geran-2 (‘Shahed’) drones harass and degrade these facilities—meaning imported electricity, even if it reaches Ukraine’s borders, may still stall outside substations. The most insidious aspect of this strategy lies not in how many power plants are destroyed in a single strike, but in the attempt to trap Ukraine in a vicious cycle of ‘blackout → emergency repair → renewed attack → blackout.’ Harchenko, head of Ukraine’s Energy Industry Research Center, revealed that following the November 2 air raids, some facilities undergoing urgent repairs were struck a second time. Repair crews hadn’t even evacuated the sites before newly repaired equipment was blown up again. For the power system, this means repair speed may never catch up with the pace of destruction. Russia’s tactics are also evolving. Heavy munitions are used to breach the protective structures of power plants and other large facilities, while cheap drones and cruise missiles continuously deplete Ukraine’s air defenses, repair capacity, and spare-parts inventories. Heavy strikes coupled with frequent follow-up attacks aim not to produce one massive explosion—but to render the entire system progressively harder to restore. Once energy infrastructure collapses, the consequences extend well beyond lighting and heating. Ukraine’s defense industry relies on stable, high-voltage electricity to repair tanks and armored vehicles, assemble drones, and manufacture ammunition.

Ukraine Races to Repair Power Plants Wrecked by Russian Missiles Before Winter

1 day ago

Ukraine's DTEK energy firm races to repair missile-damaged power plants before winter amid severe infrastructure attacks. Analysts warn recovery is challenging, leading to widespread blackouts and forced electricity exports despite sufficient generation capacity.

reuters

Ukraine Races to Repair Power Plants Wrecked by Russian Missiles Before Winter

FAQ