Russia Attacks Ukrainian Energy Infrastructure in New Strike

Russian forces launched widespread airstrikes targeting energy infrastructure across Ukraine, leaving more than 180,000 customers without electricity in the Zhytomyr region alone, Seznam Zprávy reported. In Kharkiv, a guided aerial bomb struck a medical facility in the Nemyšljanskyj district, injuring 62 people and forcing the emergency evacuation of approximately 200 patients, according to local officials cited by The Kyiv Independent and Novinky.

Kharkiv mayor Ihor Terechov stated that the combined assault utilizing ballistic missiles and guided bombs damaged the corridor connecting hospital buildings as well as more than 1,000 windows across medical and residential blocks. Novinky reported that the strikes on municipal life-support infrastructure also partially disrupted heating and hot water supplies in Ukraine’s second-largest city.

Russian strikes devastate Ukraine’s power grid as winter approaches

Energy facilities sustain heavy damage across multiple regions

Energy facilities sustained heavy damage in the Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv, Vinnytsia, Zhytomyr, and Odesa regions. In the Odesa region, a private energy company DTEK facility suffered severe structural damage from a late-night Odesa strike, prompting scheduled rolling blackouts. DTEK noted that the targeted site had faced repeated shelling over the preceding two months, meaning repair works will require an extended timeframe.

In the Dnipropetrovsk region, five people required hospital treatment following the overnight bombardment. Oleksandr Hanža, head of the regional military administration, reported that two elderly men aged 80 and 81 remained in critical condition in Dnipro, as detailed by Novinky. Meanwhile, Zhytomyr regional governor Vitalij Bunečko confirmed that roughly 130 settlements lost power entirely, though no casualties were reported in that area.

RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR: Russian Strikes Hit 4 Regions, 5 Injured, Zelensky Demands Haste Western Support

Zelenskyy Links Refinery Strikes to Patriot Missile Demands

Responding to the escalation, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed questions regarding retaliatory drone operations against Russian oil infrastructure during an interview with Fox News moderator Trey Yingst, featured in Aktuálně.cz coverage. Zelenskyy explained that Ukraine requested guarantees from the United States and its allies regarding energy protection, offering two distinct alternatives to halt refinery strikes: an absolute stop to Russian attacks on Ukrainian energy grids, or the supply of Patriot air defense interceptor missiles that Ukraine offered to purchase.

Forum 24 reported that recent long-range drone missions struck major Russian processing facilities, including the Lukoil refinery in Kstovo within the Nizhny Novgorod region, which processes between 15 and 17 million tons of oil annually and supplies roughly 30 percent of the Moscow region’s gasoline market. In Yaroslavl, regional governor Michail Jevrajev confirmed that a coordinated swarm of 124 Ukrainian drones targeted the Slavněfť-JANOS refinery, injuring two plant workers and igniting three distinct industrial fires noted by the Telegram channel Exilenova+.

Russia Attacks Ukrainian Energy Infrastructure in New Strike
Photo: Aktualne

Casualties Mount in Zaporizhzhia Humanitarian Center Bombing

Separately, the death toll from a devastating Russian aerial bomb attack on a humanitarian aid distribution center in the Zaporizhzhia region rose to 29 people, with 48 individuals remaining missing and five injured, according to regional administration head Mychajlo Semikin.

Why Ukrainian drone operations target Russian petroleum facilities

Why did Ukrainian forces target the oil refinery in Yaroslavl?

Local and regional officials report that Ukrainian drone operations target Russian petroleum facilities because Moscow directly funds its military campaign through oil revenues, while Kyiv seeks to retaliate against continuous Russian strikes on Ukrainian power grids.

Russia Pounds Ukraine’s MOST Protected Weapon, Energy Site? Kyiv Faces Massive Blow | Watch

How many patients were evacuated from the hospital in Kharkiv?

Local authorities, including the head of the Kharkiv military okrug Oleh Syněhubov, confirmed that approximately 200 patients were evacuated to other medical facilities following the guided bomb strike on the hospital corridor.

What alternative did President Zelenskyy propose to the United States regarding refinery attacks?

In an interview with Fox News reported by Aktuálně.cz, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated he offered to halt strikes on Russian oil refineries if Russia stops attacking Ukraine’s energy infrastructure or if the United States supplies Patriot air defense system missiles.