Russian Strikes Plunge Kyiv into Darkness, Partly Paralyzing Power, Water, and Transport

During the night of October 9, many Kyiv residents noticed the lights had gone out. The air raid alert had already been ongoing for several hours, so the cause was clear to Ukrainians now in their fourth year of war: another Russian attack. Around 3 a.m., reports confirmed that a Russian Shahed drone had struck a residential building in the city center. Several apartments caught fire, and firefighters battled the blaze for about two hours.

In total, Russia injured 12 people in the attacks, eight of whom were hospitalized. This time, no fatalities were reported. Debris fell in several districts of the capital, but the damage was quickly contained.

Kyiv faces citywide outages

It soon became clear that Kyiv’s critical infrastructure was the main Russian target of the night’s attack. The entire Left Bank of Kyiv, along with several other neighborhoods, was left without power. Water supply disruptions were reported across multiple districts, with residents going several hours without water. As of this writing, it remains unclear how soon services will be restored. City officials described the situation as “difficult,” though no official details about the damage have been released.

The power outage in a city with over three million daytime residents partially paralyzed the transport system. Several metro lines were shut down, and one section of the network lost connection between the right and left banks of the Dnipro River. Trolleybus routes were also disrupted in some areas, prompting the city to deploy additional buses.

Schools and universities without electricity or water have switched to remote learning. Some of these institutions have been converted into Points of Invincibility, locations powered by generators where residents can charge their phones, access the Internet, and stay connected.

This is not Kyiv’s first blackout, though the city had gone many months without one. Russia has recently intensified its attacks, and according to Financial Times sources, the Russian military has upgraded its ballistic missiles, making them harder to intercept—even by American Patriot systems. Civilian infrastructure remains a key target of Russian strikes.

Nationwide attacks target energy infrastructure

That same night, numerous other Ukrainian cities also came under fire. Russia launched Kinzhal and Iskander missiles, as well as KAB guided bombs. Explosions were reported in Dnipro, Kryvyi Rih, Kamianske, and Sumy. In Zaporizhzhia, Russia’s attacks killed a seven-year-old child. The primary targets were energy facilities. Russia’s goal: to plunge Ukraine into darkness—without light, water, or heat.

Russian attacks have destroyed more than 60% of the country’s local gas production, posing a serious threat to heating supplies this winter, said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Meanwhile, continued Russian strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure compound the challenge. International partners are stepping in to help finance gas purchases and energy imports. Still, defensive and counteroffensive measures remain essential—such as the provision of long-range missiles capable of destroying Russian military sites involved in missile production and launches, including factories, component facilities, and airfields.

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