In the early hours of November 2, 2025, Ukraine’s southwestern Odesa region was jolted awake by the sharp whine of drones—a sound that has become all too familiar in this war-torn country. Russian air attacks struck a car park on the Black Sea coast, killing two people and wounding three others, according to Ukrainian authorities. The aftermath, as reported by the Associated Press, left the local community reeling and underscored the relentless nature of the conflict as winter’s chill sets in.
But Odesa was not the only region to suffer that night. Nearly 60,000 residents in the southeastern Zaporizhzhia region found themselves plunged into darkness after a barrage of Russian drones and missiles battered the area. Ivan Fedorov, the region’s governor, described scenes of devastation, posting images of buildings reduced to rubble and confirming that two people were wounded in the attack. The strikes left tens of thousands without power, and the impact rippled across neighboring regions as well.
Ukraine’s national energy operator, Ukrenergo, announced rolling power cuts on November 2, citing widespread damage to the country’s power grid. The partially occupied Donetsk region, as well as parts of Zaporizhzhia, Kharkiv, and Chernihiv, all faced outages. Vadym Filashkin, governor of Donetsk, said the entire eastern region was experiencing emergency blackouts following direct hits on energy infrastructure. These cuts, as Ukrenergo explained, were not isolated incidents but part of an ongoing campaign targeting Ukraine’s ability to keep the lights—and the heat—on as temperatures drop.
The timing of these attacks is no accident. As the Associated Press and The Independent both note, Russia has intensified its focus on Ukraine’s critical infrastructure with the onset of winter. Ukrainian cities rely on centralized systems for water, sewage, and heating. When the power goes out, so do these essential services, leaving millions vulnerable to the cold and compounding the daily hardships of war.
Analysts and officials say Moscow has shifted tactics in 2025, zeroing in on specific regions and gas infrastructure. The effectiveness of these attacks has increased as Russia deploys hundreds of drones, some equipped with cameras to improve targeting. This technological evolution has overwhelmed Ukrainian air defenses, especially in areas where protection is weaker. The result: more frequent and more damaging strikes on civilian infrastructure.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, addressing the nation on November 2, painted a grim picture of the past week. He stated, “Russia has launched nearly 1,500 attack drones, 1,170 guided aerial bombs, and more than 70 missiles at Ukraine over the past week, including at residential buildings and civilian infrastructure.” It’s a staggering statistic that highlights the sheer scale of the current offensive.
The strikes are not limited to Ukraine’s side of the border. In a bold move, Ukrainian special forces launched a drone attack on Russia’s Tuapse port on November 2, setting fire to an oil tanker and key port infrastructure. According to a Ukrainian intelligence official who spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity, five drone strikes were carried out, targeting a tanker, loading infrastructure, and port buildings. The Tuapse port is a major oil export terminal and houses a refinery owned by the state-run Rosneft.
Images circulated on social media showed flames engulfing terminal structures and a tanker at the Black Sea port. While the Associated Press could not independently verify the footage, local Russian authorities confirmed that “two foreign civilian ships” were damaged in the attack. The operation, described as a coordinated effort by Ukraine’s Security Service and other defense forces, reflects Kyiv’s increasingly assertive strategy in targeting Russian energy assets.
President Zelenskyy emphasized the significance of these strikes, stating that long-range attacks on Russian refineries have reduced Moscow’s oil refining capacity by 20%, citing Western intelligence. This is no small feat. Oil exports are a lifeline for Russia’s war effort, funding its ongoing invasion. As Ukrainian forces take aim at refineries, new sanctions from the U.S. and European Union are also working to choke off Moscow’s oil and gas revenue streams.
The energy war is a two-way street. While Ukraine’s drone attacks on Russian infrastructure are designed to hit Moscow’s pocketbook and disrupt its military logistics, Russia’s campaign against Ukraine’s power grid seeks to sap morale and cripple the country’s ability to function. The Associated Press reports that these attacks are intended to erode Ukrainian resolve and disrupt weapons manufacturing and other war-related activity, nearly four years after Russia’s full-scale invasion began.
Meanwhile, civilians continue to bear the brunt of the violence. On November 1, a separate Russian air attack in the Dnipropetrovsk region set a shop ablaze, with the death toll rising to four—including two boys aged 11 and 14—as confirmed by the region’s acting governor. Both sides deny targeting civilians, but the grim reality is that thousands have been killed since 2022, the vast majority of them Ukrainian.
The human cost of these attacks is staggering and, for many, deeply personal. In Odesa, the aftermath of the drone strike was marked by grief and disbelief. Local officials described scenes of chaos as emergency crews raced to douse fires and rescue the wounded. “Three others were wounded,” Odesa regional head Oleh Kiper confirmed, underscoring the persistent danger faced by those living near the front lines.
In Zaporizhzhia, the power outages left families scrambling to find alternative sources of heat and light. The attacks on the region’s infrastructure were so severe that, as Fedorov noted, “nearly 60,000 people faced power outages.” The rolling blackouts have become a grim routine, with many residents unsure when—or if—full service will be restored.
As winter deepens and the diplomatic stalemate drags on, the battle for energy infrastructure has taken center stage in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. Both sides are locked in a high-stakes struggle to control the flow of electricity, oil, and gas—resources that are as vital to survival as they are to the war effort.
For those living in the shadow of the front lines, the stakes could not be higher. Each new attack brings fresh uncertainty and heartbreak, but also a renewed determination to endure. As the world watches, the people of Ukraine continue to hold fast, even as the darkness closes in.
