Toggle Daily
Russian strikes leave hundreds of thousands without power in Ukraine
November 8, 2026
CBS News reports that the strikes came a day after Ukraine's energy ministry said a massive attack on energy facilities had plunged residents in five regions into darkness and significantly hampered electricity transmission in Kyiv.
The Guardian reports that the diplomatic track has been stalled since February when Washington shifted attention to its war with Iran.
Key facts
- According to New York Post, Zelensky said, “We are counting on the US Congress to give more attention to Ukraine, because Russia keeps increasing the number of its attacks”.
CBS News reports that the strikes came a day after Ukraine's energy ministry said a massive attack on energy facilities had plunged residents in five regions into darkness and significantly hampered electricity transmission in Kyiv. BBC reports that "In the Kyiv region, there were strikes on substations that connect the Rivne and Khmelnytsky nuclear power plants to Kyiv and central Ukraine." Saturday’s strikes come days before a new round of three-way talks in Abu Dhabi between Ukrainian and Russian officials, as part of a US-backed peace push that has so far yielded few results, New York Post reports. According to New York Post, strikes on energy facilities outside Kyiv — including systems sending power from two nuclear plants to the city and Ukraine’s central regions — caused serious damage, the energy ministry said.
New York Post reports that Russia has stepped up air attacks on Ukraine as its ground offensive has largely stalled, pounding energy infrastructure in major cities with difficult-to-intercept missiles and drones more than 4-1/2 years into its full-scale invasion. According to The Guardian, The Ukrainian president said, “By intensifying its attacks on Ukraine and our infrastructure at this very moment, Russia is trying to additionally lay the groundwork for putting pressure on Ukraine’s position and that of its partners”. According to New York Post, Zelensky said, “Russia is preparing for trilateral talks by launching ballistic missiles at Ukraine’s critical infrastructure”. Russia had throughout the night launched 172 drones and 36 ballistic missiles, Zelenskyy said, among which were KN-23 missiles manufactured and supplied by North Korea, The Guardian reports. According to New York Post, he said Russia had launched 36 ballistic missiles, only four of which were intercepted, according to Ukraine’s air force. At least two people were killed and around a dozen others wounded across Ukraine in the overnight attacks, which also damaged homes, businesses and non-residential buildings, authorities said. About 850,000 people lose power after Russian attacks on energy infrastructure in Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk and Kharkiv, Al Jazeera reports. According to Al Jazeera, more than 600,000 people in Ukraine’s eastern Dnipropetrovsk region are without electricity after a Russian overnight attack on an energy facility, a Ukrainian energy provider has said. According to New York Post, Moscow’s defence ministry said it carried out a massive strike on what it described as targets in Ukraine’s military-industrial sector, as well as energy and transport infrastructure in and around Kyiv. According to Reuters, Moscow's defence ministry said it struck what it described as targets in Ukraine's military-industrial sector, as well as energy and transport infrastructure in and around Kyiv. Ukraine is bracing for yet another harsh winter of war as Russia ramps up daily aerial attacks, raining down drones and missiles on the power network, Al Jazeera reports. According to Reuters, Ukraine also carried out drone and missile attacks on several Russian regions, causing minor damage but no casualties, Russian authorities said on Saturday.
The Guardian reports that the diplomatic track has been stalled since February when Washington shifted attention to its war with Iran.
According to CBS News, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the night-time strikes had triggered "widespread power outages across the country". "In the Zhytomyr region alone, 140 apartment buildings were left without heating following a Russian strike," he said, as temperatures in Ukraine already hovered around freezing. According to The Guardian, President urges US for support, saying ‘Ukraine must not be left to face this alone’ as barrage plunges cities into darkness. The Guardian reports that Volodymyr Zelenskyy has accused Russia of intensifying strikes across the country to put pressure on Kyiv at upcoming talks after an overnight barrage triggered power cuts as temperatures drop. US Envoys Make First Kyiv Visit Amid Ukraine Peace Push, The Moscow Times reports.
According to New York Post, Zelensky said, “Russia is preparing for trilateral talks by launching ballistic missiles at Ukraine’s critical infrastructure”.
Zelensky
Still developing
According to CBS News, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the night-time strikes had triggered "widespread power outages across the country". "In the Zhytomyr region alone, 140 apartment buildings were left without heating following a Russian strike," he said, as temperatures in Ukraine already hovered around freezing. According to The Guardian, President urges US for support, saying ‘Ukraine must not be left to face this alone’ as barrage plunges cities into darkness.
How settled the reporting is
Sources
- BBC — Ukraine's power network suffers further damage after fresh Russian strikes
- CBS News — Hundreds of thousands left without power in Ukraine after Russian strikes, authorities say
- The Guardian — Ukraine war briefing: Russia ramping up attacks to ‘pressure’ Kyiv at trilateral talks, Zelenskyy says
- The Moscow Times — Russian Diplomats and Military Officials to Join Talks with U.S. and Ukraine, Kremlin Says - The Moscow Times
- New York Post — Russia pounds power facilities around Kyiv, damages major bridge - New York Post
- Reuters — Russia pounds power facilities around Kyiv, damages major bridge | Reuters
- Al Jazeera — Russian strikes on Ukraine leave hundreds of thousands without electricity | Russia-Ukraine war News | Al Jazeera
Toggle read the full reports of all 7 outlets counted on this event.