Russia hit Ukraine’s energy system 256 times in winter terror campaign

Since early October 2025 the enemy has deliberately targeted 11 hydroelectric power plants and 45 of Ukraine’s largest thermal power plants. Additionally, Russia has carried out 49 precision strikes on thermal power facilities and 151 strikes on electrical substations across the country.

The heaviest combined attacks on the power system have been recorded in Kyiv and its suburbs, as well as Kharkiv, Odesa, Dnipropetrovsk, Sumy, Mykolaiv, and Chernihiv oblasts. Russia has been using Iskander and Kalibr missiles, Kh-101 and Kh-69 cruise missiles, as well as Geran-type drones to attack critical infrastructure.

Russian strikes during periods of severe cold have led to large-scale disruptions in electricity, heating, and water supplies, affecting millions of Ukrainian civilians.

The SBU has described the campaign as the systematic destruction of Ukraine’s energy system, classifying it as a crime against humanity under international law. Under Ukrainian legislation, such crimes are punishable by life imprisonment.

On Jan. 14, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced the introduction of a state of emergency in Ukraine’s energy sector and said a special coordination headquarters had been established in Kyiv to manage the crisis.