Russian strikes have again damaged Ukraine's power network, straining energy supplies as winter approaches. The attacks hit energy sites in the southern Odesa region overnight, with Russia launching more than 120 drones and two missiles at Ukraine, targeting energy, logistics, and civilian sites across five regions. Ukraine's air defenses downed or jammed some of them.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia has damaged every power plant in Ukraine in one way or another. He warned that blackouts are now part of a nationwide repair effort. Zelenskyy made the appeal in Madrid on Thursday, asking Latin American leaders for equipment that can work with Ukraine's power grid. He said repair crews are working around the clock and that Ukraine needs equipment fast.
In Kyiv, the first snow fell on November 6, and the capital does not have enough generators to power its apartments, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said. Russian strikes are choking the power supply. Some reports say Russia fired 310 drones at Ukraine overnight, cutting power in several cities, a day after a mass strike on the energy system. Other reports say Russia launched 78 strikes on Ukraine's energy infrastructure in just three days.
Zelenskyy said Ukraine got no early warning from its partners as Russia hit the power grid again. He said four out of 36 missiles were shot down overnight, while other attacks continued to stretch repair teams. In Komyshuvakha, rescue teams kept searching for more than 30 people believed trapped after Russian guided bombs hit a former school and a nearby shelter. Zelenskyy said 43 people had been confirmed dead there, and one person previously reported missing had been found alive.
Russia said it struck Ukrainian electricity grid facilities in a massive overnight attack. The strikes come before US-brokered peace talks are due to resume in Abu Dhabi. German politician Friedrich Merz urged Moscow to engage in those talks. Donald Trump said he had an unscheduled meeting with Kirill Dmitriev at the White House and described a coming deal with Russia as very big, involving more than Ukraine and possibly all of Europe. What happens next depends on whether the talks in Abu Dhabi lead to any reduction in attacks.