Ukrainian drone strikes cut power in Russian-occupied southern Ukraine

KYIV, Ukraine (Journos News) – Hundreds of thousands of people were left without electricity in Russian-occupied parts of southern Ukraine on Sunday after Ukrainian drone strikes damaged local power networks, according to Kremlin-installed authorities. The outages came as Russia continued overnight attacks on Ukraine’s own energy infrastructure, underscoring how critical utilities remain central targets nearly four years into the war.

The parallel strikes highlighted the fragile state of energy systems on both sides of the front line as winter conditions deepen humanitarian risks. While Moscow has repeatedly targeted Ukraine’s grid over the course of the conflict, Kyiv has increasingly used drones to strike infrastructure in Russian-controlled territory, aiming to disrupt military logistics and administration.

Power outages in occupied Zaporizhzhia

In the Russian-held portion of Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region, more than 200,000 households were without electricity on Sunday, according to the Kremlin-appointed governor, Yevgeny Balitsky. Writing on Telegram, Balitsky said nearly 400 settlements lost power after Ukrainian drone strikes damaged energy distribution networks.

Zaporizhzhia, partially occupied since the early months of Russia’s full-scale invasion, has been a frequent target of fighting. Energy facilities in the region have repeatedly changed operational status as attacks and repairs alternate, leaving civilian services vulnerable to sudden disruptions.

Ukraine has not publicly commented in detail on the strikes in occupied territory. Kyiv has previously said that infrastructure used by Russian forces in occupied areas is considered a legitimate military target.

Russian strikes on Ukraine’s energy grid

At the same time, Russian forces continued their campaign against Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. Ukraine’s State Emergency Service said Russian attacks overnight struck facilities in the southern Odesa region, sparking a fire that was later extinguished.

In the central Dnipropetrovsk region, at least six people were wounded by Russian attacks, emergency officials said. Ukrainian authorities reported no immediate large-scale blackouts from the overnight strikes, though damage assessments were ongoing.

Russia has repeatedly targeted Ukraine’s power generation and transmission facilities, particularly during winter months, a strategy Ukrainian officials describe as an effort to undermine civilian morale by cutting heating, water, and electricity during cold weather.

Zelenskyy cites nationwide attacks

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that repairing the country’s energy system remains difficult but ongoing. “We are doing everything we can to restore everything as quickly as possible,” he said in a Telegram post.

According to Zelenskyy, two people were killed in overnight Russian attacks that struck multiple regions, including Sumy, Kharkiv, Dnipro, Zaporizhzhia, Khmelnytskyi, and Odesa. He said Russia had launched more than 1,300 attack drones, 1,050 guided aerial bombs, and 29 missiles of various types against Ukraine over the past week.

The figures could not be independently verified, but Ukraine regularly publishes weekly tallies to illustrate the scale of sustained aerial assaults.

Diplomatic pressure and U.S. talks

Zelenskyy linked the continued attacks to diplomatic efforts to end the war, warning against delays in negotiations. “If Russia deliberately delays the diplomatic process, the world’s response should be decisive: more help for Ukraine and more pressure on the aggressor,” he said.

His remarks came a day after a Ukrainian delegation arrived in the United States for talks connected to a U.S.-led diplomatic push. Zelenskyy has said the delegation aims to finalize documents with U.S. officials related to postwar security guarantees and economic recovery.

If approved, the documents could be signed next week at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, where U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to attend, according to forum organizers. Any proposals would still require consultation with Russia.

Drone debris wounds civilians in Russia

Separately, regional authorities in Russia reported casualties from Ukrainian drone activity overnight. In North Ossetia, in Russia’s Caucasus region, two children and one adult were wounded when debris from a downed Ukrainian drone fell onto a five-story residential building in the town of Beslan, according to regional governor Sergei Menyaylo.

Seventy residents were evacuated from the building, which sustained damage to its roof and windows, Menyaylo said on Telegram.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said its air defenses shot down or suppressed 63 Ukrainian drones overnight over Russian territory and the occupied Crimean Peninsula. In Russia’s Krasnodar region, east of Crimea, local authorities said one person was hospitalized following a drone strike.

Repairs at Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant

Amid the ongoing fighting, repair work has begun on a critical backup power line serving the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said Sunday.

In a post on X, the Vienna-based U.N. nuclear watchdog said repairs on the Ferosplavna-1 330-kilovolt backup line were underway under a ceasefire it brokered. The line connects the plant to Ukraine’s power grid and is essential for supplying electricity needed to maintain nuclear safety systems.

The Zaporizhzhia plant, Europe’s largest nuclear facility, has been under Russian occupation since 2022. Its operational safety remains a central concern in international diplomacy and is a key issue in ongoing U.S.-brokered peace discussions.

While the ceasefire applies narrowly to the repair work, the broader conflict shows no sign of easing. As winter continues, energy infrastructure on both sides remains exposed, with civilian populations bearing the immediate consequences of each new round of strikes.