KYIV – Ukraine is facing a severe energy crisis as Russia intensifies its campaign of strikes on power infrastructure, deliberately targeting the grid as the harsh winter season approaches.
Recent barrages have been described by Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko as “one of the largest concentrated strikes specifically against energy facilities,” causing significant damage nationwide.
A massive attack on Friday involved over 450 drones and 30 missiles, killing a child in Zaporizhzhia and injuring more than 20 people across several regions, including Kyiv, Dnipro, and Cherkasy.
The assault left hundreds of thousands without power, including 800,000 residents in the capital Kyiv and over 240,000 homes in the southwestern Odesa region.
Ukrainian repair crews have been working tirelessly to restore electricity. By Saturday, power had been returned to most of the affected residents in Kyiv and to 240,000 homes in the Odesa region.
Despite these efforts, the repeated attacks extract a heavy toll. Energy workers have become casualties, with two killed in the Chernihiv region and others wounded in strikes on substations.
With domestic gas production damaged, Ukraine is now negotiating with international partners to increase natural gas imports by approximately 30% to prepare for the winter.
Energy Minister Svitlana Grynchuk confirmed the country has arranged credits from European institutions for €800 million to help cover the costs.
An industry source estimates Ukraine may require more than 4 billion cubic meters of gas by the end of winter, which could cost around $2 billion at current market prices.
The attacks have triggered high-level diplomatic discussions. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held two consecutive phone calls with US President Donald Trump over the weekend, which he described as “positive and productive”.
They discussed strengthening Ukraine’s air defence, resilience, and long-range capabilities, with Zelenskyy stating, “There are good options and solid ideas on how to truly strengthen us”.
A key topic was the potential US provision of Tomahawk cruise missiles to Ukraine. President Trump has stated he has “sort of made a decision” on the matter, while Kyiv has confirmed it is in active discussions about acquiring such long-range precision weapons.
The Kremlin has expressed “extreme concern” over this prospect, with spokesperson Dmitry Peskov calling the current moment “very dramatic” as tensions escalate.
Meanwhile, Ukraine continues its own deep-strike campaign using an increasing arsenal of locally-made drones and missiles. President Zelenskyy revealed that new home-made cruise missiles are already showing “initial signs of success” in targeting Russian oil refineries, contributing to a reported 20% shortage of petrol in Russia.
As winter looms, the energy war has become a critical front, with both sides aiming to protect their own infrastructure while crippling the other’s capacity to endure the coming cold.
Sources: Associated Press, Deutsche Welle, Euronews, SCMP
