Russian Strikes Knock Out Three DTEK Power Plants and Hit Grid Across Nine Ukrainian Regions

Russia launched a multi-wave attack on Ukrainian energy infrastructure on the night of November 2-3, firing 289 drones, 17 ballistic missiles and 59 cruise missiles. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the barrage hit power plants and substations from Odesa in the south to Rivne in the west. Three of DTEK’s five thermal power plants stopped generating electricity. Emergency power outages were imposed in Kyiv and at least six other regions.

Prime Minister Sergii Koretskyi said energy facilities were struck in nine regions and damage was recorded in 14. Large plants in Dnipropetrovsk, Vinnytsia and Kharkiv regions were hit, along with substations in the west. Rail infrastructure was also damaged: passenger carriages, locomotives and a train station in Zaporizhzhia, and an electric locomotive in Kovel. In Kharkiv a missile struck a hospital, injuring 73 people and shattering more than 1,000 windows. The cardiology department was damaged.

Ukrenergo described the attack as one of the largest on the energy system since the full-scale invasion began. The operator recorded more than 20 deliberate strikes on energy facilities in a single day. Ukrainian air defences intercepted roughly 83 percent of the cruise missiles but only about 18 percent of the ballistic missiles, according to Air Force data cited by the Institute for the Study of War. Three drones were directed at a substation linked to the Khmelnytskyi nuclear plant; Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal said the action created a threat to nuclear safety in Europe.

DTEK CEO Maxim Timchenko said Russia is escalating efforts to deny Ukrainians critical services this winter. The company said repairs would begin once the security situation allows. Locations of the damaged plants have not been disclosed. Emergency cuts mean scheduled outage timetables do not apply. Some consumers in Kyiv and surrounding areas have already faced outages lasting more than 10 hours.

The strikes occurred less than two days after a short humanitarian truce expired in the Russian-controlled town of Oleshky and one week before U.S.-brokered talks scheduled for November 10-11 in Abu Dhabi. Zelenskyy said the timing suggested Moscow counted on the raid passing with less notice while the United States voted in midterm elections. He has called for more air-defence interceptors. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Russia must engage seriously in the peace process.

Ukraine responded with drone strikes that set fire to an oil refinery in Yaroslavl. Russian officials confirmed the fire. The Russian Defence Ministry said its forces struck four power plants and two substations that supply military factories and the army, plus port infrastructure in Kiliia and two cargo ships. Independent verification of the Russian claims has not been possible.

Heating season has begun in Kyiv and other cities. Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko announced the start of residential heating on November 2. Damage to generation and to the transmission grid forces nuclear plants to reduce output even when reactors remain online. First Deputy Energy Minister Artem Nekrasov noted that repeated strikes delay repairs and keep outages in place longer.

The combination of ballistic missiles that are hard to intercept and large numbers of drones has left Ukraine with limited ability to protect every substation and plant. Three of five DTEK thermal units offline removes a substantial share of private thermal generation at the start of winter. How quickly crews can restore the damaged plants, and whether further strikes follow before the Abu Dhabi meetings, will shape the severity of outages in the coming weeks.

Zelenskyy has said discussions in Abu Dhabi will include a prosperity plan and security guarantees. The energy strikes supply Moscow with leverage heading into those talks while imposing immediate costs on Ukrainian civilians and industry. The hospital strike in Kharkiv and the rail damage add non-energy civilian targets to the same barrage.