Ukraine Implements Nationwide Blackouts Amid Continued Russian Attacks

Tue Oct 21 2025 00:00:23 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

In response to a wave of Russian air strikes targeting its energy infrastructure, Ukraine has imposed emergency blackouts across almost all regions, marking the fourth winter of such outages since the onset of the war.

Ukrainian authorities have announced widespread emergency power outages following extensive Russian missile and drone strikes targeting energy networks. Only two regions are exempt from the outages, while Ukraine intensifies its own military actions against Russian infrastructure. The situation poses significant challenges as the country braces for a harsh winter, with temperatures dropping.

Emergency power outages have been brought in across almost all of Ukraine after a intensive campaign of Russian air strikes on energy infrastructure.

This will be the fourth consecutive winter of blackouts throughout Ukraine since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.

The energy ministry stated that all but two regions were affected. Only the eastern Donetsk region, at the forefront of the war, is exempt, while the northern Chernihiv region is already facing hourly outages.

In addition to targeting the power network, Russia has increasingly attacked Ukraine's railways. Meanwhile, Ukraine has ramped up assaults on Russian oil refineries in border regions and beyond.

One oil depot in Crimea — annexed by Moscow in 2014 — has been burning for three days, marking the second Ukrainian drone attack on the same site within a week. The Marine Oil Terminal in Feodosia serves as a crucial logistical link for Russian military operations in Ukraine.

Kyiv's armed forces reported that 16 fuel tanks were damaged in recent strikes, contributing to a considerable fire that continues to blaze. This escalation of drone attacks on oil facilities has also resulted in fuel shortages and heightened prices in parts of Russia, aiming to strike at Russia’s war efforts and push the Kremlin towards negotiations.

Ukraine's energy ministry cited the complicated situation as the reason for the emergency restrictions. After recent attacks, temperatures in some parts of Ukraine are expected to drop to 3°C.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Moscow of attempting to create chaos and apply psychological pressure through strikes on critical infrastructures, while Kyiv seeks more weapons to counter Russian threats.