Massive Russian Attack Strikes Ukraine’s Energy Grid, Killing Six

In the pre‑dawn hours of September 30, Russian forces launched the largest overnight assault on Ukraine’s electricity network since spring. Targets included Kyiv and ten surrounding regions, with the state‑owned grid operator Ukrenegro reporting outages in up to 8,000 households.

Six people were killed and 33 injured across the country, including a child whose body was found beneath rubble in Kyiv’s Sviatoshynskiy District. Ukrainian Prime Minister Serhiy Koretskyi said the strike “has effectively stopped the city’s power supply for hours,” and the DTEK energy firm confirmed a “difficult night” for its operations.

While Ukrainian officials did not confirm the Russian army’s claim of a strike on the Trypilska power plant, they cited parallel attacks on infrastructure in Zhytomyr, Mykolaiv, Kirovohrad and Rivne. The Russians have repeatedly targeted civilian and industrial sites, including railways, social precincts and government buildings during winter campaigns since the invasion began in 2022.

The Ukraine Defence Ministry warned that the forthcoming winter months would see another large-scale assault, citing the need to safeguard civilian lives and maintain power during severe cold. Power users are urged to keep high‑consumption appliances off from 10:00 to 16:00 local time until supplies stabilize. Residents in Kyiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, Sumy, Kharkiv and the capital cities are still experiencing power interruptions and heightened air‑raid alerts.

The attack underscores the ongoing threat to Ukraine’s critical infrastructure and the persistent risks faced by civilians amid the conflict, prompting international calls for renewed support to the nation’s energy resilience.