Winter Strikes: Over One Million Households in Ukraine Left Powerless

Sun Dec 14 2025 17:59:27 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

In a series of targeted missile and drone attacks, Russia has knocked out electricity for over a million households in Ukraine, intensifying the ongoing conflict as winter approaches. While emergency efforts are underway to restore power, international talks for peace continue.

A recent wave of Russian strikes has left more than a million households in Ukraine without power as winter sets in. Ukrainian officials reported injuries from the attacks, and the US administration is pushing for peace talks with leaders in Europe. Major regions like Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa were impacted, raising concerns about energy resilience as military activity escalates.

More than a million households are without electricity in Ukraine after a barrage of overnight Russian strikes hit energy and industrial infrastructure, officials said.

Ukraine's internal affairs minister, Ihor Klymenko, said five regions were hit and at least five people were injured, and work was under way to extinguish fires and restore supplies.

While Russian attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure have been common throughout the war, Moscow has intensified strikes as the country heads into winter.

It comes as US President Donald Trump's overseas envoy will travel to Germany this weekend to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders for more talks on ending the war.

Steve Witkoff, who has been leading White House attempts to mediate between Ukraine and Russia, will discuss the latest version of the proposed peace agreement in Berlin.

On Saturday, Zelensky said more than 450 drones and 30 missiles were used by Russia in overnight strikes. Klymenko said the Dnipropetrovsk, Kirovohrad, Mykolaiv, Odesa and Chernihiv regions were hit.

Russia's defence ministry said it used weapons including Kinzhal hypersonic missiles in the strikes - which are hard to track as they can change direction mid-flight.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported that Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant temporarily lost all offsite power because of military activities affecting the electrical grid but has since been reconnected.

In Russia, regional governor Roman Busargin said two people were killed in Saratov after a drone strike hit a residential building.

The Trump administration is aiming for a deal to end the war by Christmas, but signs of imminent breakthroughs remain scant.

EU nations agreed to indefinitely freeze around €210bn worth of Russian assets, hoping to loan them back to Ukraine if a deal can be struck at next week's EU summit.

The Ukrainian government faces a stark financial situation, needing to find an extra €135.7bn over the next two years.

The latest version of the peace plan being circulated envisions Ukraine joining the EU by January 2027, though negotiations continue about funding and security guarantees.