Infrastructure strikes hit Dnipro and Kharkiv
Russian forces struck critical infrastructure in Dnipro at around 1:30 p.m. local time on October 21, leaving 30,000 consumers without power. These outages affected the Synelnykove and Pavlohrad districts, as well as the town of Samar, which sits about 30 kilometers northeast of Dnipro, according to Dnipropetrovsk Oblast Governor Oleksandr Hanzha. Hanzha did not specify which facility the attack targeted or the extent of the damage. Earlier on October 21, a Russian drone also struck a gas production facility operated by Naftogaz in Kharkiv Oblast. "An enemy drone hit one of the installations at a production site," Naftogaz said. The company stated that because of the security situation, it is currently impossible to assess the consequences of the strike.
These attacks occurred as Ukraine heads into winter, when increased energy consumption puts additional pressure on an energy system still struggling with the damage caused by years of Russian strikes. Acting Naftogaz CEO Serhii Fedorenko said that Russia struck the company’s facilities more than 400 times since the beginning of 2026. This frequency is twice as often as during the same period last year.
Power outages spread through Kyiv and Volyn
The strikes on October 21 were part of a wider Russian campaign targeting Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. The Energy Ministry reported that facilities faced attacks in Kyiv and Kyiv, Volyn, and Odesa oblasts. In Volyn Oblast, more than 5,000 consumers lost electricity. In Kyiv, the private energy company DTEK introduced emergency outages in parts of the Obolonskyi, Shevchenkivskyi, and Sviatoshynskyi districts following the attacks. DTEK later said the situation had stabilized and Kyiv was returning to scheduled power cuts.
| Location | Impact |
|---|---|
| Dnipro districts | 30,000 consumers without power |
| Volyn Oblast | More than 5,000 consumers without electricity |
| Kyiv districts | Emergency outages in Obolonskyi, Shevchenkivskyi, and Sviatoshynskyi |
The New York Times reported on October 2 that Ukrainian authorities obtained a Russian Defense Ministry plan to cripple the grid in stages.
