Russia hits Ukraine power plants as Kyiv restores water

Kyiv went into a second day of emergency blackouts and water cuts on Wednesday, Nov. 4. Russia kept up its strikes on Ukraine's power system after one of the largest attacks on the grid since the war began. The barrage hit days before US-brokered peace talks set for Abu Dhabi on Nov. 10-11, and it has raised fears of a harsh winter.reuters.com

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Russia fired 289 drones, 17 ballistic missiles and 59 cruise missiles overnight into Tuesday. They hit power plants and substations from Odesa in the south to Rivne in the west. DTEK, Ukraine's largest private power company, said three of its five thermal power plants were knocked offline.reuters.com

Water and power cuts in Kyiv

The grid operator Ukrenergo said Russia struck energy facilities more than 20 times in 24 hours. Residents of the capital were told to use public drinking fountains, and emergency centers opened offering hot tea and places to charge phones. Tram and trolleybus service was halted, and Mayor Vitali Klitschko called the power situation "very difficult". Ukraine's energy ministry said on Wednesday that the capital region was in the worst shape, with "severe damage to energy equipment." Nuclear plants were also running at reduced output. Later on Wednesday, Kyiv's water utility said supplies had been restored, and DTEK said emergency shutdowns in the city had ended.english.nv.ua+2

The strikes did not stop. Russia's defence ministry said on Wednesday it had hit two power stations in the Kyiv and Zhytomyr regions. Ukrainian officials reported attacks in the Poltava, Dnipro, Kirovohrad and Rivne regions. Moscow said the sites it targeted supply power to military factories and the army.usnews.com+1

Hospital hit in Kharkiv

In Kharkiv, Russian strikes on Monday night hit a city clinical hospital and injured 73 people. "The cardiology department, where people were receiving treatment, was damaged," Zelenskiy said. Mayor Ihor Terekhov said more than 1,000 windows were shattered. More than 180,000 people lost power in the Zhytomyr region. Rescuers in Komyshuvakha, in the Zaporizhzhia region, are still searching rubble after Monday's bombing of a school used for aid distribution. That attack has killed at least 37 people.aljazeera.com+1

Pressure ahead of talks

Zelenskiy pointed out that the assault came on the day of the US midterm elections and asked allies for more air defenses. "The Russians believe that America will not notice this signal from them. But such terror must be noticed and stopped," he said. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he had seen no sign that Russia was ready for "serious negotiations on a ceasefire".reuters.com

In Dnipro, where two people were killed, resident Olha Hyria said: "This winter is going to be very hard".reuters.com