Russia strikes six major power substations in Ukraine, causing outages across the country, officials say
Russian forces struck six major power substations in four Ukrainian regions overnight into Wednesday, the second consecutive night of attacks on the country's energy grid, Ukraine's prime minister said. The grid operator reported outages for some consumers in eight regions, with emergency outages in Kharkiv and Dnipropetrovsk, and Kyiv switched off its streetlights to save power.
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Key points
- Six major substations were hit in Vinnytsia, Kirovohrad, Zhytomyr and Cherkasy regions overnight, the prime minister said.
- Ukrenergo reported outages in eight regions, with emergency outages in Kharkiv and Dnipropetrovsk.
- Kyiv switched off its streetlights to save power, and a district heating facility in Kryvyi Rih was hit.
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- It was the second straight night of strikes on the grid, after five substations were hit the night before.
What happened
Russia has stepped up strikes on Ukraine's energy infrastructure as winter approaches, when demand for electricity and heating rises. Damage to major substations can cut supplies over large areas, including regions far from the sites hit. The strikes came on the same two days as the US-brokered talks in Abu Dhabi, which ended with a prisoner-exchange agreement but no breakthrough on ending the war.
What we know / what we don't know yet
What we know
- Six substations were struck in four regions on the second night, on the prime minister's account, with outages reported in eight regions by the grid operator.
- Emergency outages are in force in Kharkiv and Dnipropetrovsk, and Kyiv has switched off streetlights to save power.
- Five substations were struck the previous night, reported by Reuters.
What we don't know yet
- Whether anyone was killed in the latest night's strikes — no toll has been reported for 10–11 November, and the two deaths officials reported for the previous night are not independently confirmed.
- How long repairs will take and how many people are without power in total.
- Russia's account of the strikes — its defence ministry had not commented in the reporting read.
Claim by claim
Show all claims (4)
Why this label: Koretskyi is the responsible Ukrainian official and the primary source for the strikes on his own country's grid; his account is reported by the Kyiv Independent and by Reuters' syndicated report of his Telegram post in the same terms.
On the ladder: a claim earns Verified from primary evidence, or from two independent sources that do not copy each other.
Why this label: Ukrenergo operates the grid and is the primary source for its own outage position, reported by the Kyiv Independent.
On the ladder: a claim earns Verified from primary evidence, or from two independent sources that do not copy each other.
Why this label: The streetlight measure is the city utility's own announcement and the heating strike is the prime minister's account, both reported by the Kyiv Independent.
On the ladder: a claim earns Verified from primary evidence, or from two independent sources that do not copy each other.
Why this label: The five-substation account and the two deaths are Ukrainian officials' figures reported by Reuters; the death toll has not been independently confirmed, and Russia has not given its account of these strikes in the reporting read.
On the ladder: the evidence so far sits low — early, single or social sources. We publish the claim as a claim, never as fact.
Why it matters
Two nights of substation strikes in a week when temperatures are falling put the grid under strain before winter peaks: emergency outages are already in force in two regions, the capital is saving power by darkening its streets, and a heating plant has been hit in Kryvyi Rih.
Update history
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- Latest
Published in Checking state — the substation strikes and outages are confirmed by Ukraine's prime minister and grid operator, and casualty figures and repair times are still to come.