After new Russian drone attacks, 370,000 people in western Ukraine are without power. According to the regional governor, the affected area is Volyn region on the border with Poland, Deutschlandfunk reports; several people were also injured.
Poland scrambled fighter jets during the Russian attacks, but its armed forces registered no airspace violation. Kyiv saw emergency power shutdowns. In central Ukraine, drones hit a residential building, injuring five people. On Thursday, Ukraine ended the so-called “energy ceasefire” announced by US President Donald Trump after Russia had repeatedly violated it.
Already in the night to Wednesday, 14 October, Russia had attacked Kyiv with a wave of missiles and drones. According to Euronews, at least three people were killed and 22 injured. In the Desnianskyi district, a missile hit a nine-storey residential block, two people died, 21 others were injured, including a child. Rescue workers brought 16 residents to safety. In the Holosiivskyi district, another person lost their life. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed that a ballistic missile hit the CHP-4 thermal power plant. The attacks on energy facilities left more than 600,000 people without power.
Already on 9 October, Ukrainian Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal, after a meeting of the energy staff, stated that the transmission of electricity between regions was severely restricted technically due to Russian attacks on substations and high-voltage lines. Electricity was available but could not be distributed. Therefore, the grid operator Ukrenerho is applying shutdown plans, and in the event of repeated attacks, emergency shutdowns as well. According to Shmyhal, Ukraine had by then already received more than 1,000 tonnes of energy equipment from energy hubs. Through the Energy Support Fund, equipment worth more than 63 million euros had been procured and delivered. Further deliveries worth more than 17 million euros were pending.
Earlier coverage: Drone attack on energy grid: power cuts in Kyiv and eight regions
