Russia wants blackout in Ukraine as winter comes — Zelenskyy

As winter approaches, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has warned that Russia is intensifying its attacks on the country's energy infrastructure in a bid to plunge Ukraine into darkness. In a social media post, Zelenskyy stated that Russia had just launched one of its biggest assaults on Ukraine's energy sector since the full-scale invasion began in February 2022.

Over 15 critical power generation and transmission facilities were targeted across various regions of Ukraine. Zelenskyy expressed concern that Russia aims to leave millions of Ukrainians without electricity and heating during the winter months. He urged allies to pressure Moscow to cease these attacks. The Russian Defense Ministry reported that its forces had attacked several infrastructure targets in Ukraine overnight, including an electricity substation in Zhytomyr, a steelworks in Kryvyi Rih, and a steel plant in Zaporizhzhia.

Ukrainian authorities reported that a person was killed and 19 others injured in a Russian airstrike on Kherson. Zelenskyy criticized US President Donald Trump's decision to waive new sanctions on Russia, stating that it would only encourage Putin to continue attacking Ukraine.