A large Russian missile and drone attack halted electricity generation at three of the five thermal power plants operated by DTEK, Ukraine’s largest private energy company, and triggered emergency outages in Kyiv and at least six regions.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russian forces launched 289 attack drones, 17 ballistic missiles and 59 cruise missiles overnight and into Tuesday morning. Power plants and substations were hit from the southern Odesa region to the western Rivne region.
DTEK said the three thermal power plants were struck in several waves and stopped generating electricity. The company did not disclose their locations for security reasons. It said preliminary information indicated that no employees were killed or injured, but equipment and infrastructure sustained extensive damage.
Emergency power restrictions were imposed in Kyiv and several regions. Railway infrastructure, including a station, passenger cars and locomotives, was also damaged, while some areas reported disruptions to water supplies and public transportation.
Nuclear Safety Concerns
Ukrainian Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal said three drones flew toward a substation considered critical to the stable operation of the Khmelnytskyi nuclear power plant. Ukraine notified the International Atomic Energy Agency. There was no independent confirmation that the substation was the intended target.
Competing Accounts of the Attack
Russia’s Defense Ministry said its forces struck energy facilities supplying Ukrainian military enterprises and troops. Ukrainian officials said the attack primarily targeted critical civilian infrastructure as winter approached. The claims could not be independently verified in full.
Search Continues at Humanitarian Aid Site
Separately, rescuers continued searching the rubble of a former school in Komyshuvakha in Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region that was being used as a humanitarian aid distribution point. Zelenskyy said at least 33 people were killed and about 50 could remain beneath the debris. The Associated Press independently confirmed at least 31 deaths and more than 45 people missing; the figures remained preliminary.
The escalation came one week before U.S.-brokered talks involving Russia and Ukraine scheduled for Nov. 10-11 in Abu Dhabi. Ukraine has said a halt to attacks on energy infrastructure will be among its priorities at the meeting.
Source: Vesti Baku; reporting was corroborated with statements from DTEK, Reuters and The Associated Press.