Russia Hits Six Ukrainian Power Plants Overnight, Triggering Blackouts From Cherkasy to Vinnytsia
Russian missiles and drones struck at least six Ukrainian power plants overnight, forcing emergency outages in Cherkasy and Vinnytsia and disrupting power and heating in Kyiv, Kharkiv and Dnipropetrovsk as operators race to stabilize the grid.
Russian strikes on Ukraine’s power system overnight cut electricity, destabilized voltages and disrupted heating across several regions, after missiles hit at least six major generating facilities.
Through the early hours of 3 November, Ukrainian reports from multiple regions described one of the most concentrated attacks on the grid in months. Emergency blackouts were imposed across Cherkasy Oblast and large parts of Vinnytsia Oblast. Outages were reported in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, and residents in Kyiv and Kharkiv faced unstable power and heating problems.
In Cherkasy Oblast, the Kaniv Hydroelectric Power Plant in Kaniv was struck by roughly two Russian Iskander-M ballistic missiles. Authorities responded by implementing emergency power outages across the entire oblast while they assessed the damage and tried to prevent wider grid failures.
In Kharkiv region, several facilities were hit. The Zmiivska Thermal Power Plant in Slobozhanske, Kharkiv Oblast, was reportedly struck by about five Iskander-M ballistic missiles. The TEC-5 Thermal Power Plant in Kharkiv City was hit by around four Iskander-M ballistic missiles. Separate reporting noted a glide-bomb strike on the large CHP-5 combined heat and power plant in Kharkiv, using UMPK munitions.
Further west, the Ladyzhyn Thermal Power Plant in Vinnytsia Oblast was struck by four Russian Zircon hypersonic cruise missiles, according to local reporting, and hit again by multiple Geran-4 jet-powered drones. Widespread outages followed across Vinnytsia Oblast, including in Vinnytsia City.
Ukrainian sources also listed the Prydniprovska and Kryvorizka thermal power plants among those hit during the night’s attacks, adding to the overall damage to generating capacity. In Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, emergency blackouts were introduced in response to the strain on the network.
In Kyiv, reports pointed to voltage surges as grid operators rerouted power and tried to balance supply after the strikes. Kharkiv residents experienced heating disruptions linked to the hits on local thermal and combined heat and power plants.
Grid operators now face the task of isolating damaged plants, reconfiguring power flows and preventing cascading failures that could darken even more territory. Each strike on a hydroelectric or thermal facility removes generation that is vital for both electricity supply and district heating as colder weather approaches.
Six specific sites have so far been identified in overnight reporting: the Kaniv Hydroelectric Power Plant in Cherkasy Oblast; the Zmiivska Thermal Power Plant in Slobozhanske, Kharkiv Oblast; Kharkiv’s TEC-5 Thermal Power Plant; Kharkiv’s CHP-5 plant; the Ladyzhyn Thermal Power Plant in Vinnytsia Oblast; and the Prydniprovska and Kryvorizka thermal power plants.
What happens next hinges on two timelines: how quickly emergency crews can restore stable power in Cherkasy, Vinnytsia, Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk and Kyiv, and whether Russia follows this wave with more long-range strikes on Ukraine’s energy system in the coming days.
Sources
- OSINT