Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the President of Ukraine, announced that during a series of extensive missile and drone attacks by the Russian army over a single night, severe and devastating damage was inflicted on his country's main energy infrastructure, and as a result, 28 substations and critical facilities were completely taken out of service.
The President of Ukraine revealed in a message following an extensive online meeting with military commanders and energy-sector officials that the bombing had covered a vast area, with the main power grid in the city of Rivne completely targeted, causing an immediate power outage throughout the city and its surroundings. At the same time, in Zhytomyr Oblast, a major power plant went offline, causing widespread paralysis of essential services, along with heavy damage to the infrastructure of the oblasts of Vinnytsia, Khmelnytskyi, and Odesa, leaving tens of thousands of citizens without electricity.
According to available information, Russia's intense attacks precisely targeted giant transformers and control rooms at power plants, whose function was to reduce high voltage and distribute generated electricity among cities and military industries. Experts also warn that manufacturing and transporting such scarce equipment requires several months, making the reconstruction and repair of Ukraine's power grid extremely complicated on the eve of the winter season.
Meanwhile, Russia's Ministry of Defense stated that the bombing of power plants was intended to cut electricity supplies to those military facilities and industrial plants that directly serve Ukraine's defense sector and armed forces.
