Russian Energy Strike Triggers Blackouts in Ukraine
Ukrenergo, the nation's electricity grid operator, disclosed via Telegram that infrastructure attacks severed power to Cherkasy, Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv, and Sumy regions.
Restoration operations are advancing "wherever the security situation currently allows," the statement indicated, noting that energy demand has surged due to plummeting temperatures across Ukraine combined with reduced restriction protocols in certain areas.
"Due to difficult weather conditions, 162 settlements in three regions, namely Odesa, Mykolaiv and Kirovohrad, were completely or partially de-energized in the morning," the statement said, confirming repair crews are actively addressing damaged transmission lines.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy disclosed on US social media platform X that additional Russian operations targeted energy facilities in frontline and border communities within the preceding 24 hours.
Following a coordination briefing on Ukraine's situation, Zelenskyy clarified that Russia pivoted away from direct energy infrastructure targeting, instead concentrating firepower on logistics networks—predominantly railway systems.
"In particular, there were strikes in the Dnipro region and in Zaporizhzhia, specifically targeting railway facilities," he said.
As of Monday, energy technicians and restoration teams completely rehabilitated the power grid to pre-crisis levels following a "technical failure" that Ukrainian authorities announced Saturday, Zelenskyy reported. However, he emphasized, "all challenges remain serious" considering persistent attack damage and frigid conditions.
Separately, Ukraine's air force asserted that defense systems neutralized 157 of 171 hostile drones launched by Russia overnight. Military officials confirmed one ballistic missile deployment but withheld additional specifications.
US President Donald Trump revealed Thursday that he "personally asked" his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin not to fire on Kyiv and various Ukrainian cities amid "extreme cold" weather for a week.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov had confirmed that Trump asked Putin to halt strikes in Ukraine until Feb. 1, but declined to say whether the Russian president agreed to the request.
In related developments, Ukrainian private energy provider DTEK documented an assault on its coal operation in Dnipropetrovsk region—the second such incident since Sunday—causing administrative building damage.
One day prior, the company reported an attack on a bus with DTEK miners in Dnipropetrovsk killed 12 people and injured 16 others.
Russian officials have not issued statements regarding the recent incidents.
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