Cold Comfort: 1 Million Left in Darkness and Cold After Russian Strikes in Ukraine

Russian airstrikes on Ukraine during the night left over 1 million residents in the Dnipropetrovsk region without access to water and heating, as reported by a Ukrainian official on Thursday amidst plunging temperatures.

As in past winters, Russia has escalated its attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, resulting in significant outages of heating and water supplies. This is viewed by Kyiv and its supporters as a tactic aimed at exhausting the civilian population.

A massive drone assault from Russia also led to power outages in the Zaporizhzhia region, impacting thousands of residents, according to the national grid operator, Ukrenergo, which provided updates late Wednesday.

«Efforts are ongoing in the Dnipropetrovsk region to restore heating and water services for more than a million users,» stated Restoration Minister Oleksiy Kuleba on social media.

The situation in Dnipro is dire at the moment. Following the Russian strikes on energy facilities, the circumstances have become critical. Approximately 600,000 families in the area are left without electricity, heat, or running water, while mobile network coverage is unreliable and electric public transport is not operational.

The Ukrainian air force reported that Russia launched 97 drones, with 70 intercepted by defenses, while 27 reached various targets, although details were not specified.

The military commander of Dnipropetrovsk, Vladyslav Haivanenko, indicated that the attack caused significant damage to the region’s critical energy infrastructure.

«The situation remains challenging. However, restoration efforts will commence as soon as it is safe,» he posted on Telegram.

In Zaporizhzhia, power has been restored to some «vital facilities,» yet the majority of consumers still remain without electricity, according to Governor Ivan Fedorov.

In response to the ongoing assaults on its energy grid, Kyiv has conducted strikes on Russian oil warehouses and refineries in an effort to disrupt Moscow’s essential energy exports and create fuel shortages.