Russian strikes on Ukraine’s energy system and transport infrastructure continued in early February, with officials reporting a large-scale overnight attack that targeted power facilities nationwide and separate drone strikes that hit the Odesa region’s energy and port sites.
Ukrainian officials said the latest wave of attacks damaged equipment, triggered outages, and forced emergency measures as repairs began where conditions allowed.
Massive overnight barrage on power facilities
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Russia carried out a “massive” overnight air attack involving more than 400 drones and about 40 missiles aimed at Ukraine’s electricity grid, generation facilities, and distribution substations.
Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal said the strikes hit electricity generation and distribution facilities and damaged critical parts of the distribution system, including substations and major distribution lines.
Ukrainian officials said the Burshtyn and Dobrotvir power plants in western Ukraine were among the sites targeted.
DTEK, Ukraine’s largest private energy provider, reported major damage to equipment at its thermal power plants and said the Feb. 7 strike was the 10th attack on its thermal facilities since October 2025.
Emergency shutdowns and wider knock-on effects
Ukrainian authorities said the attacks led to rolling blackouts and prompted emergency nationwide power shutdowns after strikes hit generation and distribution facilities.
Shmyhal said energy crews were prepared to begin repairs as soon as the security situation permitted, calling the assault another “massive attack” on energy facilities.
The International Atomic Energy Agency said Ukrainian nuclear power plants reduced output after the strikes damaged electrical substations and disconnected some power lines.
Ukraine requested emergency assistance from Poland after Russia struck the Burshtyn and Dobrotvirska power plants, according to Ukrainian officials.
In Burshtyn, Mayor Vasyl Andriyeshin said the local power plant stopped operations after the strikes and described the damage as severe, adding there was no water supply or heating in the city.
Kyiv was also described as heavily affected, with more than 1,110 apartment buildings still without heat after an earlier assault on the capital.
Odesa region hit: Energy facility and Black Sea port struck
In southern Ukraine’s Odesa region, power company DTEK said a Russian attack damaged an energy facility and said the damage was extensive, with repairs expected to take a significant amount of time.
Odesa regional governor Oleh Kiper said some settlements were partially left without electricity, and he said critical infrastructure was running on generators while work continued to restore power.
Days later, Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Kuleba said a Russian drone attack killed one person and injured six others at one of the ports in the Odesa region on the Black Sea.
Kuleba said the strike involved “massive” attacks on port and railway infrastructure and damaged business infrastructure, fertiliser warehouses, and vehicles including freight wagons, and he said the attack sparked a fire.
Kuleba also said railway infrastructure in the Dnipetrovsk region was hit during the same period.
Diplomacy runs alongside the attacks
Zelenskyy said the United States wanted to push Kyiv and Moscow toward ending the war before the start of summer, and he suggested Washington was focused on finishing by June.
He also said the United States proposed a new round of talks between Ukraine and Russia in Miami in about a week and that Kyiv had agreed to participate, while noting Moscow and Washington had not commented.
RFE/RL reported that Kyiv and Moscow concluded two days of US-brokered peace talks in Abu Dhabi without a major breakthrough but agreed to a large prisoner swap.
US President Donald Trump said on Feb. 6 that talks related to Russia and Ukraine were “very, very good,” adding that “something could be happening,” according to RFE/RL.
