“Now on the 1,657th day”: Ukraine’s crews restored power to over 900,000 homes last week as Russia keeps striking grid before winter

Russian strikes have left nearly a million Ukrainian families without power across four oblasts last week, according to DTEK, Ukraine's largest private energy company. The company brought electricity back to 596 settlements in Donetsk, Odesa, Dnipropetrovsk, and Kyiv oblasts between August 31 and September 6. Russia's ongoing attacks on Ukraine's power grid are particularly concerning as the cold season approaches, with the country's winter-resilience plans only partially completed at the start of September.

Odesa Oblast bore the brunt of the damage, with DTEK restoring power to over 366,000 families. This followed a massive strike on the region's main energy facilities on September 2, leading to temporary grid limits imposed by national operator Ukrenergo to prevent equipment overload. In Donetsk Oblast, power was restored to nearly 360,000 homes, while Dnipropetrovsk Oblast saw repairs to about 172,000 homes and Kyiv Oblast saw nearly 9,000 homes reconnected.

Despite the continuous attacks, Ukraine's crews persist in restoring power, now on their 1,657th day. Alina Bondarenko, chief executive of DTEK Grids, emphasized the ongoing effort: "Russia keeps attacking our energy system. Despite everything, we keep working and restoring power — now on the 1,657th day." The timing of these attacks is particularly dangerous as Ukraine must bolster its grid before winter.

Russia's war efforts have increasingly targeted the energy system, making it a critical focus for both sides as temperatures drop.