Russian strikes leave thousands without power in Ukraine, says Zelenskyy

Key Points:

• Russian strikes targeted Ukrainian energy infrastructure overnight in four regions—Dnipro, Vinnytsia, Zhytomyr, and Khmelnytskyi—leaving hundreds of thousands of households without electricity, according to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
• The attacks focused on substations, transformers, and power lines, with Zelenskyy describing the intensity of the strikes as extremely high.
• In response, Russian authorities reported a large Ukrainian drone strike on an industrial facility in the Nizhny Novgorod region, destroying over 100 drones but causing no reported casualties.
• The damaged facility in the Kstovsky district may lead to temporary power outages and reduced heating services during repairs, though the specific site was not confirmed; the region hosts the NORSI oil refinery.
• Despite a recent pause on Ukrainian strikes against Russian oil refineries reportedly agreed under U.S. pressure until after the midterm elections, Russian attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure have continued.