Russian strikes leave hundreds of thousands without power as Ukraine braces for winter
Russian attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure left more than 600,000 residents without power in Dnipropetrovsk and nearly 250,000 customers without power in Kharkiv, according to DTEK and the city’s mayor. The International Energy Agency says power shortages are likely this winter, with their severity dependent on the intensity of attacks and the weather.
Bottom line — The IEA says connecting delivered equipment could add power generation capacity within weeks.
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President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said 140 apartment buildings in Zhytomyr were left without heating.
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The IEA says Ukraine added around 400 megawatts of distributed gas-fired power over the past year, alongside wind capacity and battery storage.
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The IEA warns that faster, jet-powered Russian drones are harder to intercept and have damaged energy infrastructure ahead of winter.
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More than 30% of Ukrainian households rely on district heating, which the IEA says has come under heavier attack over the past two winters.
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The IEA says electricity imports helped cover supply gaps last winter, but price caps and grid bottlenecks limited their use.
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The IEA says critical energy equipment takes six to nine months to deliver and calls for procurement for winter 2027–28 to begin now.
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RFE/RL obtained a Russian analytical document calculating how attacks could cut power in Kyiv, Kharkiv and Odesa by up to 90%; Ukrainian analysts said it was not an operational combat plan.
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The UN Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine concluded that attacks on energy infrastructure amounted to war crimes and crimes against humanity, according to UNITED24 Media.