Russian Attacks Leave Power Outages Across 10 Ukrainian Regions

KYIV – November 2, 2026

Russian attacks killed two people and injured more than 30 others across Ukraine over the past day while strikes on energy infrastructure caused power outages in 10 regions, Ukrainian authorities said.

The Energy Ministry reported outages in Vinnytsia, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Rivne, Cherkasy, Odesa, Kharkiv, Kirovohrad, Dnipropetrovsk, and Kyiv oblasts. Conditions were described as most difficult in Dnipropetrovsk and Kyiv oblasts. Emergency power outages were introduced in Kyiv and the surrounding oblast after attacks on energy sites. The disruptions affected the capital’s metro and high-speed tram services.

Ukraine’s air force said Russian forces launched 193 long-range attack drones overnight, including 75 jet-powered drones. Ukrainian defences intercepted 154 of them. Debris and direct hits were recorded at multiple locations. Separate strikes continued against other critical infrastructure.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine has intelligence that Russia is preparing a new massive strike, primarily targeting energy infrastructure and logistics. He said Russian forces appear to be counting on the world focusing on U.S. midterm elections, leaving Ukraine’s air defence shortages and the need for Patriot missiles outside immediate attention. Zelenskyy called for signals from partners that terror will bring Russia no gains, and that Russian oil revenues must continue to face pressure.

He also noted a shift in Russian tactics this year. Strikes are now aimed not only at power generation facilities but at distribution infrastructure as well. Repair crews are working around the clock, he said, and the speed of restoration has become as important as the availability of interceptor missiles. Dozens of strikes on energy sites have been recorded in recent days.

The attacks continued while limited local ceasefires have held in some areas, including the earlier truce in Oleshky. Ukrainian officials have said those limited arrangements do not change their position on broader negotiations. They have rejected discussions of limits on Ukraine’s armed forces or enforced neutrality.

European and U.S. partners have approved additional aid packages in recent weeks, including air defence systems. Zelenskyy has said the deliveries cannot take years because Russia is destroying infrastructure and killing people now. Production and stockpile shortfalls among Western countries have slowed the rate at which Ukraine can replenish interceptors.

In Odesa Oblast, emergency crews extinguished fires at sites hit in overnight attacks. Regional authorities across the affected areas reported injuries and damage to residential and energy sites. No comprehensive national casualty total beyond the two killed and more than 30 injured was released by early evening.

Repair work continued in the regions with outages. Officials said full restoration timelines depend on the extent of damage to transformers, substations, and transmission lines, and on whether further strikes occur. Previous rounds of attacks on the grid have left some households without power for days while equipment is replaced or power is rerouted.

Zelenskyy has framed the current Russian approach as an attempt to exploit both Ukraine’s interceptor shortages and the timing of the U.S. elections. Ukrainian forces have continued long-range strikes on Russian industrial and energy targets in response. Russian authorities have reported damage to facilities in several regions from those attacks.

For now, power remains disrupted in 10 regions while crews work and air defences continue to intercept the majority of incoming drones. Zelenskyy said Ukraine will respond to the strike Russia is preparing. The volume of launches and the focus on distribution infrastructure have increased the pressure on both air defence stocks and repair capacity heading into winter.