Russian drone attack on Ukraine's energy system leaves more than 500,000 without power

Neither side’s claims about the strikes can be independently confirmed.

Russia launched 176 long-range drones at Ukraine overnight into Friday 23 October, including 92 jet-powered drones, Ukraine’s Air Force said. It said 140 were shot down or suppressed, with impacts recorded at 19 locations and falling debris at 13 more, the Kyiv Independent reported.

Ukraine’s Energy Ministry said strikes on energy facilities in the Zhytomyr, Volyn, Mykolaiv, Poltava, Khmelnytskyi and Rivne regions cut electricity to more than 500,000 people, CNBC reported. Private energy company DTEK said one of its thermal power plants had stopped generating after an attack, without naming it. In Volyn, regional head Roman Romanyuk said about 105,000 consumers lost power and water pumping in Lutsk was partly restricted.

Russia’s Defence Ministry said its air defences destroyed 443 Ukrainian drones overnight, CNBC reported.

Background: Russia has repeatedly struck Ukraine’s power grid since 2022, and Ukraine has carried out long-range drone strikes on Russian oil refineries. US President Donald Trump announced an “energy ceasefire” on 11 October; CNBC reported that it “has failed to yield any meaningful outcome”. The strikes came after US envoy Steve Witkoff met Vladimir Putin in St Petersburg on 21 October, after which Putin said Russia was ready to resume US-mediated talks with Ukraine in November.