As Ukraine braces for another grueling winter, the country’s energy infrastructure has once again become a focal point in the ongoing conflict with Russia. Over the past week, Russian forces intensified their campaign against Ukraine’s power grid, launching a barrage of drones, missiles, and glide bombs in a calculated effort to cripple the nation’s electricity supply before the coldest months set in. According to Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Russia has unleashed more than 3,100 drones, 92 missiles, and around 1,360 glide bombs in just seven days, targeting not only the capital Kyiv but also the regions of Donetsk, Odesa, and Chernihiv (as reported by the Associated Press and other outlets).
Friday, October 10, 2025, marked one of the most severe assaults yet. Russian drone and missile strikes wounded at least 20 people in Kyiv, damaged residential buildings, and plunged vast swaths of the country into darkness. Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko described the onslaught as “one of the largest concentrated strikes” against Ukraine’s energy infrastructure to date, underscoring the scale and intent behind the attacks. Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed responsibility, stating that the strikes were aimed at energy facilities supplying Ukraine’s military and that Kinzhal hypersonic missiles and strike drones were used in the operation.
For ordinary Ukrainians, the immediate aftermath was bleak. More than 800,000 residents in Kyiv experienced blackouts, with many left in the cold and dark as crews rushed to repair the damage. Ukraine’s largest private energy company, DTEK, reported that by Saturday, October 11, “the main work to restore the power supply” had been completed, though some localized outages persisted. Two DTEK employees were wounded during the strikes on a substation, according to Kyiv regional Governor Mykola Kalashnyk.
The attacks are part of a now-familiar pattern. Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion over three years ago, the energy sector has emerged as a key battleground. Each year, as the mercury drops from late October through March—with January and February being the harshest—Russian forces have attempted to shatter Ukraine’s power grid, seemingly aiming to erode public morale and resilience. The timing is no accident; the bitter cold can turn a power outage from an inconvenience into a life-threatening crisis.
Ukraine’s air defenses have worked overtime to blunt the impact of these strikes. On the night of Friday, October 10, and into Saturday, October 11, Ukraine’s air force reported intercepting or jamming 54 out of 78 Russian drones launched against Ukrainian territory. The following night, that number jumped, with 103 out of 118 drones neutralized. Meanwhile, Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed it had shot down 42 Ukrainian drones over Russian territory on Friday and 32 the next night. These dueling reports highlight the technological arms race in the skies above Ukraine, where both sides are deploying increasingly sophisticated means to attack and defend.
In the broader geopolitical context, the recent escalation has prompted renewed calls for international support. President Zelenskyy has been especially vocal, urging allies to tighten secondary sanctions on buyers of Russian oil—arguing that those who continue to purchase Russian energy are, in effect, financing the war. “Sanctions, tariffs, and joint actions against the buyers of Russian oil—those who finance this war—must all remain on the table,” Zelenskyy wrote on X (formerly Twitter). He has also called for more advanced weaponry, including long-range precision strike systems such as Tomahawk cruise missiles and ATACMS tactical ballistic missiles.
These requests have not gone unnoticed in Washington. On Sunday, October 12, President Zelenskyy reported having a “very productive” phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump. The leaders discussed “strengthening Ukraine’s air defense, resilience, and long-range capabilities,” as well as “details related to the energy sector.” Zelenskyy noted that this conversation followed an earlier call on Saturday, during which they agreed on the topics that would be addressed. The discussions come at a critical juncture, as a senior Ukrainian delegation prepares to visit the United States in the coming week to further press Ukraine’s case for advanced weaponry and support.
President Trump, for his part, has signaled that a decision on whether to provide Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine is imminent. “I have sort of made a decision,” Trump said earlier in the week, though he stopped short of elaborating. The ambiguity has fueled speculation and concern in Moscow. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov described the possibility of the U.S. supplying Tomahawks as “of extreme concern,” warning that “tensions are escalating from all sides.” Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, struck a more dismissive note, suggesting that the U.S. may not act as quickly as some fear. “I think we need to calm down in this regard. Our friend Donald… sometimes he takes a more forceful approach, and then, his tactic is to let go a little and step back. Therefore, we shouldn’t take this literally, as if it’s going to fly tomorrow,” Lukashenko said in comments released Sunday.
Europe’s major powers have also stepped up their involvement. On Friday, October 10, the leaders of Britain, France, and Germany—Prime Minister Keir Starmer, President Emmanuel Macron, and Chancellor Friedrich Merz—held a phone call in which they agreed to use the value of frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine’s armed forces. In a statement released by the German government, the trio pledged to act “in close cooperation with the United States,” with the aim of increasing pressure on President Putin and “bringing Russia to the negotiation table.”
While the diplomatic chess game continues, the reality on the ground in Ukraine remains harsh. The latest Russian attacks, described by Prime Minister Svyrydenko as among the most intense yet, have once again tested the resilience of Ukrainian civilians and the capacity of the country’s emergency services. DTEK’s rapid efforts to restore power in Kyiv offer a sliver of hope, but the threat of further attacks looms large as winter approaches.
As Ukraine’s leaders seek more robust support from their allies and brace for what could be a punishing season, the coming weeks may prove pivotal—not only for the fate of Ukraine’s energy grid but for the broader trajectory of the war itself.
