Power Outages Persist Across Ukraine After Large-Scale Russian Energy Strikes

Keenan Hutka November 4, 2026 3 minutes read

KYIV – November 4, 2026

Power outages continued across multiple Ukrainian regions Wednesday after Russia’s large-scale overnight missile and drone attack on energy infrastructure on November 3.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russian forces launched 289 attack drones, 17 ballistic missiles, and 59 cruise missiles. The main targets were power generation facilities and substations in nine regions: Odesa, Cherkasy, Zhytomyr, Vinnytsia, Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Chernivtsi, Chernihiv, and Rivne. Emergency and unscheduled power cuts remained in effect in many cities and communities as repair crews assessed the damage.

Ukraine’s largest private energy company, DTEK, said three of its five thermal power plants were knocked offline. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko described the power situation in the capital as extremely difficult. National grid operator Ukrenergo reported that Russian forces targeted energy facilities more than 20 times overnight and during the day on November 3.

In Kharkiv, a municipal clinical hospital was hit. Seventy-three people were injured, and the cardiology department was damaged. In the Zaporizhzhia region, the death toll from a strike on a school being used for aid distribution in the village of Komyshuvakha rose to at least 33. About 50 people were still believed to be under the rubble as rescue operations continued under the threat of further strikes. Zelenskyy said Russian forces have used double-tap tactics in the past.

Ukrainian Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal said Russian forces also deployed drones toward a substation vital to the Khmelnytskyi nuclear power plant, creating risks for nuclear safety. Air raid alerts remained active in several areas as the possibility of additional launches continued.

The strikes came less than a week before U.S.-brokered talks between Ukraine and Russia are scheduled to resume in Abu Dhabi on November 10-11. Zelenskyy has said the timing of the attack, which coincided with U.S. midterm elections, appeared intended to act while international attention was focused elsewhere. He has continued to call for faster delivery of air defence systems, particularly Patriot missiles.

Ukrainian air defences intercepted a substantial portion of the incoming drones and cruise missiles, though ballistic missiles proved more difficult to stop. Debris and direct hits were reported at multiple energy and civilian sites. Repair work began on damaged substations and transmission lines, but officials said full restoration would depend on the extent of the damage and whether further strikes occur.

The attack followed the end of a limited local ceasefire in the occupied city of Oleshky. Ukrainian officials have said such local arrangements do not alter their position on broader negotiations. They have rejected any discussion of limits on Ukraine’s armed forces or enforced neutrality.

Russian authorities reported that Ukrainian drones targeted an oil refinery in Yaroslavl overnight. Separate Ukrainian long-range strikes on Russian industrial sites have continued in recent days. The volume of the November 3 barrage has added to the cumulative pressure on Ukraine’s air defence stocks and energy repair capacity heading into winter. For households in the affected regions, power remains disrupted while crews work under the continuing threat of further attacks.