Key facts
- Russia struck Kyiv's energy infrastructure on November 3 in the largest mass attack on the city's grid, the Kyiv Independent reported.
- President Volodymyr Zelensky said on November 6 that Kyiv's power outages are the worst of any Ukrainian region.
- Mayor Vitali Klitschko said the central government had not approved Kyiv's resilience plan for nearly six months, according to the report.
- Olena Pavlenko of the DiXi Group said Russian jet-powered drones can destroy more distributed generation infrastructure.
- Oleksandr Skhin, director of Ukraine's Association of Water Utilities, said a lack of power for pumping can have serious consequences.
Rail: Ukraine's capital is facing a second wartime winter with electricity, heat and water supplies under strain from Russian strikes on energy and logistics infrastructure, the Kyiv Independent reported on November 9, 2026. Residents described daily, often unannounced outages, and President Volodymyr Zelensky said on November 6 that Kyiv was experiencing the worst power cuts of any region in the country.
Rail: In the largest recent attack, Russian forces struck Kyiv's energy infrastructure on November 3, the report said, adding that water disruptions that followed were the most serious the city has seen. Russia has also targeted logistical sites, including warehouses and supermarket distribution centers, and some foodstuffs have begun disappearing from Kyiv shop shelves.
Rail: Residents who spoke to the Kyiv Independent described the practical cost. Oleksandr Gramatskiy, 49, said he and his wife waited more than four hours outside his 86-year-old mother's 13th-floor apartment building for power to return before they could use the elevator. A resident identified as Olha said she had begun stockpiling canned vegetables, rice and water on her balcony. Sofia Hohol, 22, said the authorities were not doing enough: "Kyiv is not ready for this (winter), and it will be difficult for us."
Rail: The report said Russia's use of faster, harder-to-intercept jet-powered drones has changed the threat. Olena Pavlenko, president of the Kyiv think tank DiXi Group, said such drones are cheaper to produce than missiles and can destroy more distributed generation infrastructure. The report added that Kyiv's sewage system depends entirely on electricity, so sustained outages can halt wastewater processing; Oleksandr Skhin, director of Ukraine's Association of Water Utilities, said a lack of power for pumping can have serious consequences.