In a chilling escalation of its campaign against Ukraine, Russia unleashed a barrage of missiles and drones across the country on the night of October 4 to 5, 2025, inflicting severe damage on critical energy infrastructure and leaving tens of thousands without electricity just as winter approaches. The strikes, which Ukrainian officials and international observers say targeted civilian facilities, killed at least five people—including a 15-year-old—and injured dozens more, as reported by Caliber.Az and other outlets.
The latest assault was both sweeping and coordinated. According to Ukraine’s air force, Moscow launched 53 ballistic and cruise missiles and an astonishing 496 drones across nine regions of Ukraine. The Ukrainian Ministry of Energy confirmed that equipment belonging to Zaporizhzhiaoblenergo was struck, plunging the regional center and much of the Zaporizhzhia district into darkness. In the words of the ministry, "Emergency repair and restoration efforts are underway to restore the electricity supply as quickly as possible." But for many, the lights were already out—literally and figuratively.
Sumy, a region in northeastern Ukraine, experienced particularly harsh consequences. Power cuts swept through 38 settlements, and a drone strike on a passenger train in the city of Shostka killed one person and injured at least 30 others. Footage shared on X (formerly Twitter) showed smoke billowing from strike sites in both Lviv and Sumy. One user captured the mood succinctly: "Lights out in Shostka and 38 settlements—Russia's winter war plan in action."
The wave of attacks did not spare Chernihiv, either. The city faced renewed blackouts as a result of fresh strikes, with officials implementing hourly power outage schedules to manage the crisis. "The enemy has once again attacked the Chernihiv region. Hourly power outage schedules remain in effect here. Energy workers are working to reduce restrictions," the Ministry of Energy stated, underscoring the relentless pressure on local infrastructure and personnel.
Lviv, long considered a relative safe haven in western Ukraine, suffered its largest aerial assault since Russia’s full-scale invasion began on February 24, 2022, according to Maksym Kozytskyi, head of the local military administration. Four people, including a 15-year-old, lost their lives in a combined drone and missile strike, and at least six more were injured. The attack left two districts without power and disrupted public transportation for several hours. Mayor Andriy Sadovyi reported that a business complex on the city’s outskirts caught fire, emphasizing that it was a civilian facility unconnected to any military activity.
The southern city of Zaporizhzhia was also hit hard. Regional head Ivan Fedorov reported that a civilian woman was killed and nine others wounded in an aerial assault involving drones and guided bombs. The strike destroyed residential buildings and left about 73,000 households in the city and surrounding areas without electricity. In the eastern city of Slovyansk, a Russian guided aerial bomb slammed into an apartment block, injuring six people—including a child—and damaging more than two dozen residential buildings as well as cars, shops, and a café. These attacks, according to Ukraine’s emergency services and regional prosecutors, have become disturbingly routine.
Throughout the night and into the morning, the Ukrainian power grid shuddered under the weight of the assault. Serhii Koretskyi, CEO of Ukraine’s state-owned Naftogaz Group, said Sunday’s attack inflicted further large-scale damage on gas infrastructure that supplies civilians, just two days after what the company called the largest Russian strike of the war on its facilities. "Russia’s goal was to deprive Ukrainians of gas, heat, and electricity," Koretskyi stated in a Naftogaz press release. The company did not elaborate on the full extent of the latest damage, but the pattern is clear: Russia’s strategy is to weaponize the weather, aiming to freeze Ukrainian civilians into submission by denying them the basics of heat, light, and running water as winter sets in.
President Volodymyr Zelensky responded with a renewed plea for Western air defense systems to counter Russia’s "aerial terror." In a Telegram post, Zelensky said, "Today, the Russians again targeted our infrastructure, everything that ensures people can live a normal life. We need more protection, a rapid implementation of all defense agreements, especially on air defense, to make this aerial terror pointless." The urgency in his message was unmistakable, as he pressed Ukraine’s Western partners to accelerate delivery of promised defensive hardware.
Ukraine has not remained passive in the face of these attacks. For months, it has conducted its own long-range strikes on Russian territory, often targeting oil infrastructure and contributing to persistent fuel shortages within Russia. Yet, as the Kremlin intensifies its campaign against Ukraine’s power grid, the humanitarian stakes grow higher. The targeting of energy and transport infrastructure—in particular, the railway network, which is critical for both civilian evacuation and military logistics—has become more frequent. Russian drones struck a railway station in Shostka, killing one and wounding dozens, and similar attacks have hit Ukrainian railways almost daily in the past two months.
The ripple effects of the strikes are being felt beyond Ukraine’s borders. After Sunday’s attacks, which left over 110,000 people without power, neighboring Poland put its ground defense forces on high alert, according to reports. The move highlights growing regional anxiety that the conflict could spill over or destabilize the broader area, especially as Russia’s tactics become increasingly aggressive and unpredictable.
On the diplomatic front, tensions between Russia and the United States continue to simmer. Speaking at a forum of international foreign policy experts in Sochi, Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that any supply of long-range weapons—such as U.S. Tomahawk cruise missiles—to Ukraine would "badly hurt bilateral ties" and mark a "qualitatively new stage of escalation, including in relations between Russia and the U.S." These remarks came in the wake of a perceived shift in Washington’s Ukraine policy, with President Trump recently expressing confidence that Ukraine could reclaim all territory lost to Russia, a notable change from his earlier calls for Kyiv to make concessions to end the war.
For ordinary Ukrainians, the consequences of Russia’s latest offensive are immediate and deeply personal. The loss of electricity, heat, and water is not just an inconvenience—it’s a matter of survival as temperatures drop. The destruction of homes, businesses, and essential infrastructure underscores the human cost of a conflict that shows no sign of abating. As emergency crews race to restore power and patch up shattered neighborhoods, the specter of further attacks looms large.
With winter closing in and the threat of more strikes hanging over the country, Ukraine’s leaders and citizens alike are bracing for what could be the most challenging season yet since the war began. The resilience on display is remarkable, but the need for international support—especially in the form of advanced air defense systems—has never been more urgent.
The latest wave of Russian attacks has left scars both physical and psychological, but it has also galvanized a nation determined to endure. As the world watches, Ukraine’s struggle for light, warmth, and security continues against daunting odds.
