Emergency power outages have been brought in across almost all of Ukraine due to an intensive campaign of Russian air strikes on energy infrastructure. This will be the fourth consecutive winter of blackouts since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.
The energy ministry reported that all but two regions were affected; 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 grid, Russia has increasingly focused on Ukraine's railways. In response, Ukraine has ramped up attacks on Russian oil refineries in border regions and beyond.
Recent attacks have caused significant damage, including a major fire at an oil depot in Crimea, the largest marine oil terminal in the region, which has been burning for three days following a second Ukrainian strike.
The surge in drone attacks has resulted in fuel shortages and rising prices in parts of Russia, a situation Ukrainian leaders hope will hamper Russia’s military efforts and encourage negotiations.
Reports indicate that Ukrainian forces have damaged 16 fuel tanks in the same operation that destroyed the refinery, with a growing concern regarding fuel exports from Russia, now at their lowest since the war's beginning.
Ukraine's energy ministry expressed the need for emergency restrictions due to the complicated situation, urging consumers to use their power sparingly as temperatures are expected to drop to around 3°C.
In recent weeks, Russian attacks have had a severe impact on civilians, with millions affected by outages. President Volodymyr Zelensky has stated that Moscow aims to sow chaos and apply psychological pressure through strikes on civilian infrastructure.
As Ukraine seeks more advanced weaponry from Western allies, there are concerns over escalating the conflict. The U.S. has discussed providing long-range missiles, as Ukrainian leaders emphasize that they would target military facilities only.
