Russian forces attack energy facility in Poltava Oblast: Some consumers left without power

According to Pronin, Russians used drones to attack the region, leaving 56 residential and 30 commercial consumers without power.

There have been no reports of casualties.

“Specialists are already working on restoring electricity for the affected consumers. The situation is under control,” Pronin stated.

Ukraine’s Air Force reported that overnight on Sept. 22, Russian forces attacked Ukraine with two guided Kh-59/69 missiles and launched 80 Shahed-type attack drones. The air defense forces shot down 71 of the drones.

Air defense was active in Khmelnytskyi, Vinnytsia, Cherkasy, Kirovohrad, Zhytomyr, Kyiv, Sumy, Poltava, Kherson, and Mykolaiv oblasts.

The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine also warned that Ukraine could face power outages lasting from four to 18 hours daily this winter due to the ongoing energy shortage.

Ukraine’s energy system

According to the Energy Ministry, from October 2022 to September 2024, Ukraine’s energy infrastructure has been attacked by Russia 1,024 times.

On Aug. 29, then-CEO of the state energy company Ukrenergo, Volodymyr Kudrytskyi, said that a blackout scenario for the upcoming winter is unlikely. He stated that Ukraine is much better prepared for the 2024-2025 winter season in terms of its energy network compared to 2022-2023.

At the same time, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal warned on Sept. 10 that the coming winter could be the most difficult yet.

In September, Politico reported that this winter could be a turning point in the energy war, as Russia continues to target key substations that supply Ukraine’s nuclear power plants.