Zelenskyy says Russian strikes cut power to 600,000 in Dnipro region

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Sunday that overnight Russian strikes on energy infrastructure had left more than 600,000 people without electricity in the city of Dnipro and surrounding areas, as Moscow intensified its campaign against Ukraine's power grid.

Power outages and rescue operations

In a statement on Telegram, Zelenskyy said repair crews were working to restore service in "practically every affected city and community" across the country. He noted that the situation remained particularly difficult in the Kharkiv region, while in Zhytomyr alone, 140 apartment buildings had been left without heating. Russian forces also attacked Komyshuvakha with an FPV drone on Saturday morning, he added.

Rescue operations were continuing for the seventh consecutive day following an earlier airstrike that killed 55 people, Zelenskyy said, warning that victims might still be trapped beneath debris. "People may still be under the rubble," he said. The Ukrainian leader did not provide additional details on the location of the deadly strike in his Sunday statement.

Wave of missile and drone attacks

Zelenskyy stated that Russia had launched 115 missiles of various types, nearly 1,900 guided aerial bombs, and more than 3,000 attack drones against Ukrainian cities over the past week. He said the strikes involved combined missile attacks, noting that a significant proportion of the missiles had been manufactured this year. Ukraine regularly shares intelligence with international partners regarding Russian companies involved in ballistic missile production, he added.

Sanctions appeal

The Ukrainian president pointed to sanctions packages introduced in October targeting individuals and legal entities involved in Russia's military production, stressing the importance of aligning these measures with restrictions imposed by European countries and G7 jurisdictions. "If the world does not have enough anti-ballistic capabilities to protect Ukrainian skies, the missiles must be stopped on the production lines," Zelenskyy said. Kyiv is counting on a strong 22nd package of EU sanctions to tighten restrictions on Moscow's defense industry.

Russia has not issued any statement regarding the claims, and independent verification remains difficult due to the ongoing conflict. The strikes come as Kyiv continues to lobby Western partners for additional air defense systems and stricter sanctions enforcement against Russian military manufacturing.