Russia Targets Ukraine’s Energy Infrastructure

Sunday was a day with casualties for Ukraine. On October 16, 2025, Russia unleashed a large-scale amount of missile and drone attacks on Ukraine just before dawn, lasting throughout the day. The attack landed in multiple cities and towns, leaving at least five people dead and many injured, according to Ukrainian officials.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that about 500 attack drones and 50 missiles were launched overnight in an assault, largely aimed at the country’s energy infrastructure. Drones continued to fly over several regions Sunday afternoon.

Additionally, “Today, the Russians once again targeted our infrastructure — everything that ensures normal life for our people,” Mr. Zelensky said in a statement during an interview. “We need more protection and faster implementation of all defense agreements, especially on air defense agreements, to deprive this aerial terror of any meaning.”

Ukraine’s Air Force reported that 496 drones and 53 missiles were launched in total, with 57 drones and 14 missiles successfully evading air defenses. This attack knocked out power in several regions across Ukraine, and emergency crews were working to restore electricity.

Lviv, a western city, had one of the most brutal attacks. Local authorities said four members of one family were killed when a missile hit a home on the outskirts of the city. At least three other people were wounded. Large areas of Lviv were left helpless, and thick smoke rose from its historic center.

There were similar strikes reported across areas like Zaporizhzhia, Chernihiv, Sumy, Kharkiv, Kherson, Odesa, and Kirovohrad regions. In Zaporizhzhia, local officials said one person was killed and 73,000 residents lost power.

Ukraine’s Ministry of Energy said the attack appeared to be part of Russia’s ongoing effort to target the nation’s power grid, a strategy Moscow has used in previous winters since the invasion began in February 2022. “Emergency repair and restoration work is ongoing to restore electricity as quickly as possible,” the ministry stated.

Kaja Kallas, the European Union’s foreign policy chief, condemned the strikes on social media, calling them “terror attacks on Ukrainian civilians and infrastructure” and stating that Europe would support Ukraine “as long as needed.”