Zelenskyy Says Russia Has Carried Out One of Its Largest Attacks on Ukraine’s Energy Sector

Reform.news Editorial Team · 17 October 2026, 12:32

https://reform.news/en/zelenskyy-says-russia-has-carried-out-one-of-its-largest-attacks-on-ukraine-s-energy-sector/

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia had carried out one of its largest attacks on Ukraine’s energy sector, targeting more than 15 electricity generation and transmission facilities in various regions of the country. According to him, the situation is most difficult in Lutsk, Rivne, Zhytomyr, Vinnytsia, Shepetivka, Slavuta and Netishyn.

Strikes also hit energy infrastructure in Kharkiv, Kyiv, Dnipropetrovsk and other regions.

“The Russians have expanded the scale of their anti-energy campaign and are trying to spread our reserves and recovery capabilities as thinly as possible. From 7 p.m. yesterday until 7 a.m. today alone, more than 320 jet-powered and petrol-powered Shahed drones, as well as loitering munitions, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles, were used against our energy infrastructure, our cities and our communities. Although our troops have managed to shoot down a significant number of them, the scale and continuous nature of Russian strikes — specifically those targeting the energy sector — have, unfortunately, had many negative consequences,” the Ukrainian leader said.

According to Zelenskyy, restoration work is ongoing, with all necessary services and available resources from energy companies involved.

Zelenskyy also said new packages of support for Ukraine were being prepared by European partners and criticized the decision in the United States concerning Lindsey Graham‘s bill.

“It is important that our European partners have already prepared new packages of support for Ukraine. I am grateful to them for this. It is also important that everyone in America sees what is actually happening. At a time when the Russians carried out such a massive attack on our energy sector, a decision was unfortunately made in America to completely ignore Lindsey Graham’s bill, which was intended to exert genuinely effective pressure on Russia to end this war. This bill could — and still can! — be of great help. But it needs to be implemented in practice, and every vote in its favor matters,” he stressed.

“Russia is trying to plunge Ukraine into a blackout just before winter. Russia is trying to leave millions of our people without electricity and heating. Pressure is necessary to stop this. An American sanctions blackout, easing pressure on the aggressor and financial rewards for Putin — all of this only encourages him to continue the violence. We must not give up ground and must keep trying to end the war. End it, rather than give Putin every reason to continue it indefinitely,” the Ukrainian president concluded.