World · 2026-11-01 · Afternoon briefing

Widespread blackouts in Ukraine after Russian energy strikes

Hundreds of thousands of families in Ukraine are without electricity following Russian overnight strikes on energy infrastructure. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed that substations, transformers, and power lines were targeted across four regions: Dnipro, Vinnytsia, Zhytomyr, and Khmelnytskyi, describing the intensity of the attacks as "extremely high".

The strikes coincide with a significant Ukrainian drone offensive. The governor of Russia’s Nizhny Novgorod region reported that more than a hundred drones were destroyed in a "massive" attack that caused significant damage to an industrial facility. Another Ukrainian drone attack was blamed for hitting an oil refinery in Russia's Samara region on Friday.

The attacks on Russian refineries come amid reports of U.S. pressure on Ukraine to pause such strikes. The Wall Street Journal reported that Ukraine had agreed to do so until after the US midterm elections on November 3rd, following pressure from President Donald Trump. Ukraine previously observed a 72-hour pause in October after Mr Trump announced an energy ceasefire, though Russian bombardment of Ukrainian infrastructure continued regardless.

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• Russian strikes plunge Ukrainian city into blackout as Zelenskyy warns of more missile attacks
• Ukraine scrambles to restore power to 200,000 after Russian attacks as fears of further blackouts grow
• Ukraine resumes attacks on Russian oil refineries
• Civilian Suffering Was Goal of Russian Strikes in Ukraine, U.N. Panel Says
• Power cuts in Ukraine, digital outages in Russia: How the war is hitting essential services

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