Ukraine’s energy infrastructure has come under renewed and intensified Russian attack as President Volodymyr Zelensky indicated that the United States is pushing for progress on a broader agreement by June, a timeline he suggested is influenced by domestic political considerations in Washington.
Speaking amid ongoing diplomatic efforts, Zelensky said the Americans were keen to move quickly. “The Americans say that they want to do everything by June,” he noted, before questioning the urgency of the timeline. “Why before this summer?” he asked, adding that political developments in the United States would likely play a role.
Zelensky pointed specifically to upcoming domestic issues in the US, including the November midterm elections, which could significantly affect the balance of power in the American government. Analysts have suggested that shifting political dynamics in Washington may influence the pace and scope of US engagement in the Ukraine conflict.
While diplomatic discussions continue, the situation on the ground in Ukraine has worsened, particularly in the energy sector. Russia has resumed large-scale attacks on critical electricity infrastructure, causing widespread damage and renewed hardship for civilians.
Ukraine’s energy minister, Denys Shmyhal, confirmed that Russian forces carried out another major assault targeting the country’s power system. Writing on Telegram, he said the strikes hit key substations that regulate electricity flow, overhead transmission lines that form the backbone of the national grid, and several power generation facilities.
Ukraine’s state-owned energy operator, Ukrenergo, reported that the attacks had led to a significant increase in the national power deficit. The damage has disrupted electricity supply across multiple regions, forcing emergency measures to stabilise the grid.
As a result of the worsening situation, Ukraine requested emergency electricity supplies from neighbouring Poland. Officials said cross-border support was necessary to prevent further outages and maintain essential services.
Zelensky later revealed that the latest wave of attacks involved more than 400 drones and 40 missiles launched overnight. According to the Ukrainian military, air defence systems intercepted the majority of the incoming threats, but several strikes still reached their targets.
“The main targets were the energy grid, generation facilities, and distribution substations,” Zelensky said, adding that damage was confirmed in at least four regions of the country.
In western Ukraine, the Lviv region was among the hardest hit. Regional head Maksym Kozytskyi reported that the Dobrotvir power plant was struck, leaving thousands of residents without electricity. He said at least 6,000 people were affected by rolling power outages introduced to manage the shortfall.
The Burshtyn power plant in the neighbouring Ivano-Frankivsk region was also damaged during the attacks. Energy company DTEK, which operates both plants, described the strikes as part of a sustained campaign against Ukraine’s power sector.
DTEK said the assault marked the tenth major attack on its thermal power plants since October 2025. According to the company, its facilities have been targeted more than 220 times since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion nearly four years ago.
“These combined missile and drone strikes caused the most powerful blow to our infrastructure so far this year,” DTEK said in a statement, underscoring the scale and intensity of the damage.
Civilian casualties were also reported. One person was confirmed dead in the Rivne region, while several others were injured in the southeastern Zaporizhzhia region. Rivne regional head Oleksandr Koval said the attacks damaged residential buildings and critical infrastructure.
In Kyiv, air raid sirens forced residents to once again seek shelter in metro stations. Oksana Kykhtenko, one of those taking refuge underground, described the conditions as unbearable. “They make us live in inhumane conditions. Without heating, without electricity,” she told Reuters.
Elsewhere, Ukrainian emergency services said a drone strike in the city of Yahotyn, around 100 kilometres from Kyiv, caused a fire at a warehouse complex. Firefighters were deployed to prevent the blaze from spreading to nearby buildings.
Ukraine has also continued its own strikes inside Russian territory. Media reports quoting Ukrainian security officials said a factory producing missile fuel components in Russia’s western Tver region was hit. In addition, an oil depot in the Saratov region was reportedly struck.
Russian authorities have not commented publicly on the latest attacks within their territory.
Moscow resumed its strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure earlier this week after a brief pause. US President Donald Trump said he had asked Russian President Vladimir Putin to halt attacks during a period of extreme cold, claiming the pause lasted for about a week. Ukrainian officials, however, disputed the timeline and said strikes had continued intermittently.
Responding to the renewed attacks, Zelensky called for stronger international action. “Moscow must be deprived of the ability to use the cold as leverage against Ukraine,” he wrote on X, arguing that targeting energy infrastructure during winter months amounts to deliberate pressure on civilians.
Russia, meanwhile, has accused Ukraine of undermining peace efforts. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov alleged that Kyiv was responsible for the shooting of a senior Russian military general, claiming the incident was intended to disrupt negotiations. The circumstances surrounding the shooting remain unclear, and no group has claimed responsibility.
The human cost of the war continues to rise. Zelensky said earlier this week that around 55,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022. On the Russian side, the BBC has verified the names of nearly 160,000 individuals killed while fighting in Ukraine.
As the conflict grinds on, Ukraine faces mounting pressure both on the battlefield and at the negotiating table. With its energy system under sustained attack and diplomatic timelines narrowing, the coming months are expected to be critical in shaping the next phase of the war.
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