As the chill of winter looms over Ukraine, the country is once again under siege—not just from missiles and drones, but from a calculated campaign targeting its energy lifelines. In a series of relentless attacks beginning in early October 2025, Russian forces have escalated their efforts to cripple Ukraine’s power grid, natural gas production, and critical infrastructure, leaving millions at risk of being plunged into darkness and cold just as the harshest months approach.
According to the Associated Press, on the night before October 8, a Russian strike seriously damaged one of Ukraine’s thermal power plants, injuring two workers. The exact location remains undisclosed for security reasons, but the impact is part of a broader pattern. Each year since the invasion began in 2022, Moscow has stepped up attacks on Ukraine’s energy systems as winter draws near, hoping to erode public morale and disrupt military manufacturing. Ukrainian officials have long accused Russia of weaponizing winter, and this year’s campaign appears no different—if anything, it’s intensifying.
The Kyiv Independent reports that between October 8 and 9, at least five civilians were killed and nineteen injured in Russian attacks that struck residential areas and critical infrastructure across the country. In Kherson Oblast, two people died and eight were wounded as ten houses and both critical and social infrastructure were damaged. The Sumy region saw three more deaths and two injuries amid almost fifty attacks on twenty-five settlements. In Odesa, overnight strikes injured at least five people and left more than 30,000 without electricity. Fires broke out in homes, an administrative building, a gas station, and a port facility, according to regional governor Oleh Kiper. The city of Chornomorsk was especially hard hit, with nearly the entire city losing power.
Ukraine’s air defense systems have been working overtime. The country’s Air Force reported intercepting or jamming 154 out of 183 Russian drones on one particularly heavy night, while another wave saw 112 Shahed-type drones launched, with 87 intercepted but 22 still hitting twelve locations. Despite these efforts, the sheer volume of attacks has overwhelmed even the most robust defenses. In Donetsk, Kharkiv, and Zaporizhzhia Oblasts, additional injuries and widespread damage have been reported as guided bombs, drones, and artillery rain down on communities.
Perhaps even more alarming is the assault on Ukraine’s natural gas infrastructure. According to Bloomberg, a massive Russian attack on October 3 in the Kharkiv and Poltava regions destroyed around 60% of Ukraine’s domestic natural gas production capacity. The attack, which involved 35 missiles (many ballistic) and 60 drones, has forced Kyiv to consider importing approximately 4.4 billion cubic meters of gas by March 2026—about 20% of its annual consumption. Before the full-scale invasion, Ukraine’s gas infrastructure was sufficient to meet domestic demand, but repeated strikes have left the system in tatters.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy did not mince words, telling reporters in Kyiv, “Russia will do everything to prevent us from extracting our gas. They will do everything. It will be difficult to protect all this. The task is to have money to import gas so that people have gas.” Energy Minister Svitlana Grynchuk echoed these concerns, stating, “We are restoring gas infrastructure every day, but the damage is significant.” Kyiv has already purchased 4.58 billion cubic meters of gas from foreign suppliers this year, and initial estimates for year-end imports have risen from 5.8 billion to potentially much higher as attacks continue.
To cope, Ukraine has appealed to its G7 partners for repair equipment, financial aid, and additional air defense systems. European financial institutions are also considering new support packages. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development provided a €500 million loan in August for emergency gas purchases, and the European Investment Bank followed with €300 million earlier in October. Anna Kaisa Itkonen, spokesperson for the European Commission on energy, said, “The Commission is deeply concerned about the damage inflicted by Russia on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. We remain in close contact with Ukraine on the overall energy situation in the country.”
The civilian toll is mounting. In Shostka, Sumy region, authorities have set up warming tents and eleven locations where locals can get food and tea. Mayor Mykola Noha urged residents to “please bring your own dishes,” highlighting the improvisational spirit and resilience of communities under siege. In Chernihiv, Kherson, and Dnipropetrovsk, further strikes have left tens of thousands without power. The Odesa region, a frequent target, saw containers filled with vegetable oil and wooden pellets set ablaze at the port, and emergency shelters—dubbed “Points of Invincibility”—have been activated to provide heat, power, water, and first aid to those cut off from basic services.
DTEK, Ukraine’s largest electricity operator, reported that its thermal power plants have been shelled more than 200 times since the start of the full-scale invasion. CEO Maksym Timchenko described the latest strikes as “cynically timed” just as Ukraine heads into the cold season. “The attack caused serious damage, but we will not let Russia win,” he insisted.
President Zelenskyy, speaking to Agence France-Presse, characterized the Russian strategy as an effort to “create chaos and apply psychological pressure on the population through strikes on energy facilities and railways.” He drew direct parallels to the winters of 2022, 2023, and 2024, when similar campaigns left millions without heat or electricity for extended periods. The president warned that continued attacks on gas infrastructure could force Ukraine to ramp up imports even further—a daunting prospect as the country’s economy and resources are stretched thin.
Ukraine has not been idle in response. The country has stepped up its own drone and missile strikes on Russian territory, targeting energy and fuel infrastructure in regions like Belgorod and Volgograd. President Zelenskyy claimed these strikes have led to a loss of up to 20% of Russia’s gasoline supply, prompting Moscow to increase imports from China and Belarus. Yet, for every blow landed, the humanitarian burden inside Ukraine grows heavier.
As the world watches, the stakes are clear: Ukraine’s ability to keep the lights on and homes warm is not just a matter of infrastructure—it’s a question of survival and national morale. The coming months will test the resolve of Ukrainian citizens, the ingenuity of their engineers, and the willingness of international partners to help a nation under siege endure another winter of war.