Russia Launches Concentrated Attacks on Ukraine's Power Grid Ahead of Winter... Major Blackout in Kyiv

As Russia launched concentrated attacks on Ukraine's energy grid ahead of winter, a large-scale blackout occurred in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine.

According to the Associated Press on the 11th (local time), Russia carried out large-scale drone and missile strikes on Kyiv's energy facilities in the early hours of the previous day. Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko stated that this attack was one of the most intensive large-scale assaults on Ukraine's energy infrastructure.

On the 10th (local time), residents of Kyiv, Ukraine, are seen extinguishing a fire caused by a Russian attack. Photo by AP Yonhap News

The Russian Ministry of Defense claimed that it targeted energy facilities supplying power to the Ukrainian military, using Kinzhal hypersonic missiles and attack drones. The Ukrainian Air Force reported that it intercepted or disrupted 54 out of 78 drones launched by Russia, while Russia announced that it had shot down 42 Ukrainian drones.

Since its invasion in 2022, Russia has launched concentrated offensives to cut off Ukraine’s power grid every year just before winter. Ukraine’s winter lasts from late October to March, and this strategy is interpreted as an attempt to undermine the morale of Ukrainians during the harsh cold season.

As Russia intensified its offensive to sever the power grid, electricity was cut off in most areas of Kyiv. Restoration work has resumed power supply to about 800,000 residents, but some areas are still without electricity. The latest attack left at least 20 people injured in Kyiv alone, and residential buildings and other structures were also destroyed.

Meanwhile, on the 10th, the leaders of the United Kingdom, France, and Germany held a phone conference and agreed to use frozen Russian assets to support the Ukrainian military. There are expectations that this move will pressure Russian President Vladimir Putin and bring Russia to the ceasefire negotiation table.