Ukraine Faces Rolling Blackouts After Russia Strikes Energy Grid on Christmas Morning

On Christmas morning, December 25, Russia launched a massive combined attack on Ukraine using drones and missiles. The main target was energy infrastructure all across the country.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported that Russian forces launched over 70 missiles, including ballistic ones, and more than a hundred strike drones.

“According to preliminary reports, our defenders managed to shoot down over 50 missiles and a significant number of drones. Unfortunately, some of them hit their targets. Currently, several regions are experiencing power outages. Energy workers are working to restore electricity as quickly as possible,“ wrote Zelenskyy.

Ukraine's Energy Minister, Herman Halushchenko, stated that the attack's primary target is the country's energy system. Ukrenergo  has already implemented rolling blackouts.

Additionally, Russian forces struck DTEK 's thermal power plants, causing severe damage to the equipment.

“This is the 13th large-scale assault on Ukraine's energy infrastructure and the 10th targeting the company’s facilities this year,“ the company wrote on its official Telegram channel.

Around 6:00 am, Kharkiv came under attack from ballistic missiles, with more than a dozen explosions heard across the city. At least six people were injured.

"Several fires broke out following the enemy strikes, and there is damage to civilian non-residential infrastructure," informed Oleh Syniehubov, head of the Kharkiv Regional Military Administration.

The Kyiv region came under Russian UAV attack. According to the Regional Military Administration, in two districts, 12 trucks, a café building, and three private homes were damaged. The buildings suffered broken windows, and doors, shattered facades, and damaged roofs.

Explosions were also heard in Dnipro and other cities in the region, including Kryvyi Rih.

In Vinnytsia, Russia’s attack caused damage to the energy infrastructure.

The cities of Kremenchuk in Poltava region and Burshtyn in Ivano-Frankivsk, where a large thermal power plant is located, were also under attack.

On December 24, a Russian missile strike hit Kryvyi Rih, damaging a residential building, killing one man and injuring 17 others, including 2 children.