Peace talks don’t stop Russian missiles: 100,000 Ukrainians left in darkness after Moscow’s attack struck five regions

Peace talks are not stopping the Kremlin from killing Ukrainians. During the night of 24–25 November, Russia launched massive strikes on energy infrastructure in Kyiv and five regions. More than 100,000 Ukrainian energy consumers were left without power, according to the Ministry of Energy. The attack on the capital killed seven people.

The strikes occurred amid growing debate over a US-proposed peace plan that was intended to outline a path to ending the war.

Politicians and experts criticized the document for effectively forcing Ukraine to capitulate, and it is currently being revised. European partners submitted amendments, and it was this updated version that the Kremlin immediately declared “unacceptable.” Just hours later, Moscow launched a new attack on Kyiv.

Darkness as a weapon: the scale of blackouts after the night strike

According to the Ministry of Energy:

• 40,000 consumers are without power in Kyiv Oblast
• 20,000 in Odesa Oblast
• 13,000 in Chernihiv Oblast
• Over 21,000 in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast
• Over 8,000 in Kharkiv Oblast

The ministry also said that emergency power cuts have been introduced across the affected regions to stabilize the grid.

Harsher blackout schedules ahead

The Ukrainian energy company "Ukrenergo" clarified that once emergency shutdowns are lifted, the affected regions will transition back to hourly outage schedules, but these schedules will be stricter than previously announced. 

“Electricity limits in all affected regions will be replaced with an increased volume of hourly-scheduled outages compared to earlier forecasts. In the rest of the country, hourly outage schedules will range from 0.5 to 2.5 cycles,” the dispatch center reported.

The company added that the power situation may change throughout the day and urged residents to follow official updates from regional energy providers.