In the early hours of December 6, 2025, Ukrainian cities found themselves under a relentless barrage of Russian drones and missiles, marking one of the most extensive attacks on the country’s critical infrastructure since the onset of the war nearly four years ago. According to Ukrainian officials and multiple international sources, the strikes targeted energy facilities, railways, and essential services, plunging thousands into darkness and disrupting daily life across the nation.
The onslaught began overnight, with Kyiv’s air force reporting that Russian forces launched a staggering 653 drones and 51 missiles at various regions. The attacks were not limited to a single area; explosions and damage were reported in Kyiv, Dnipro, Chernihiv, Poltava, Odesa, and several other oblasts. As BBC and The Moscow Times highlighted, the main focus was clear: cripple Ukraine’s energy grid and sow hardship among civilians as winter set in.
"The main targets of these strikes, once again, were energy facilities. Russia’s aim is to inflict suffering on millions of Ukrainians," President Volodymyr Zelensky stated on social media, a sentiment echoed by Ukrainian and international outlets. This campaign against the nation’s power and heating infrastructure has been a recurring tactic since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in February 2022, but the scale and coordination of the December 6 attacks stood out even in this grim context.
Among the most dramatic incidents was a Russian drone strike on Fastiv, a city roughly 70 kilometers southwest of Kyiv. The city’s main railway station was burned down, according to President Zelensky and Ukraine’s state rail operator Ukrzaliznytsia. While, fortunately, there were no casualties at the station, suburban train traffic was severely disrupted, and adjustments to routes and schedules became necessary. The attack on such a vital transportation hub underscored the broader intent to paralyze movement and logistics across the country.
Elsewhere, the damage was equally severe. In Odesa Oblast, Shahed drones struck a key energy facility, leading to widespread electricity and heating outages. Oleh Kiper, the region’s military administrator, reported that critical infrastructure had to be switched to generators to maintain basic services. Utility crews were quickly dispatched to begin repairs, but as of December 6, tens of thousands remained affected. Nine Points of Invincibility—emergency service centers providing heat, power, and connectivity—were deployed to support residents as they weathered the immediate aftermath.
Restoration Minister Oleksiy Kuleba detailed the extent of the disruption in Odesa, noting that "9,500 subscribers remain without heat supply and 34,000 subscribers remain without water supply due to damage." The numbers painted a stark picture of the humanitarian impact, with families facing freezing temperatures and limited access to essential utilities.
The strikes were not confined to Odesa and Fastiv. The regions of Chernihiv, Zaporizhzhia, Lviv, and Dnipropetrovsk also saw their energy facilities targeted. In Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, casualties and infrastructure damage were confirmed, while in Chernihiv Oblast, critical sites were hit, further straining the country’s already embattled energy grid. In Kyiv Oblast, three people sustained injuries during the attacks, according to regional administration sources.
The scale of the assault prompted swift action from the Ukrainian government. Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko convened an emergency coordination meeting of ministers on December 6, signaling the gravity of the situation. "During the ongoing elimination of the consequences of this attack, additional rolling power outages will be required across the country to stabilize the system while repairs continue," Svyrydenko announced on X (formerly Twitter). This meant that, even as crews worked tirelessly to restore services, millions of Ukrainians would face continued disruptions to electricity, heating, and water in the days ahead.
Perhaps most concerning was the impact of the strikes on Ukraine’s nuclear energy sector. According to Anatolii Zamulko, head of the State Energy Supervision Inspectorate of Ukraine, nuclear power plants were forced to reduce their generating output due to the damage inflicted on the national grid. "The increase in output of nuclear power plants back to design capacity will occur gradually, once power engineers fix the grid areas damaged by the enemy strike," Zamulko said during a national broadcast. Repair work began immediately, but the vulnerability of such critical infrastructure remained a pressing concern.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) further reported that the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, Europe’s largest, temporarily lost all external power overnight—a first since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion. The implications of such an event are grave: loss of external power can compromise the plant’s ability to cool nuclear fuel, posing a risk of radioactive release. Meanwhile, at the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant, the protective confinement structure—designed to contain radioactive materials from the 1986 disaster—was damaged by a Russian drone strike, impairing its primary safety function.
Ukraine’s Ministry of Energy did not mince words in its response, calling on the international community to recognize and act against what it described as Russia’s "gross violations of nuclear safety rules" and condemning the ongoing "policy of energy terrorism." The ministry asserted, "Russia's policy of energy terrorism must be stopped," warning that attacks on infrastructure supporting internal power supply and nuclear plant output could have catastrophic consequences far beyond Ukraine’s borders.
As the country grappled with the immediate fallout, Ukrainian negotiators were simultaneously engaged in high-level talks with American envoys in Florida, seeking a path toward ending the war. The timing of the strikes—coinciding with these diplomatic efforts—was seen by many as a deliberate move by Moscow to undermine Ukraine’s bargaining position and demonstrate its capacity to escalate at will.
For ordinary Ukrainians, however, the politics of negotiation were overshadowed by the daily realities of survival. With rolling blackouts, disrupted train services, and the threat of nuclear incidents looming, the resilience of the population was once again tested. Utility crews, emergency responders, and volunteers mobilized across the country, working around the clock to restore power, repair infrastructure, and provide relief to those in need.
Despite the scale of destruction, there was a sense of grim determination. As President Zelensky and other officials made clear, the attacks were intended to "inflict suffering on millions," but the spirit of resistance and community solidarity remained unbroken. The world, watching closely, was reminded yet again of the high stakes and human costs of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
As the dust settles from yet another night of terror, Ukraine’s resolve to endure and rebuild stands as a testament to its people’s courage—and a challenge to the international community to respond in kind.
