Most of Ukrainian‑Held Donetsk Faces Winter Without Heat as Russian Strikes Hammer Power and Logistics
More than 60% of Ukrainian‑held Donetsk region is expected to have no central heating this winter, local officials warn, as Russian drone and missile strikes pound power plants, warehouse hubs near Kyiv, and logistics infrastructure around Dnipro and Bucha.
Large parts of eastern Ukraine are bracing for a winter without central heating. The head of the Donetsk regional administration said that over 60% of the parts of Donetsk Oblast still controlled by Kyiv will not have centralized heat this winter, reflecting the toll of Russian attacks on energy infrastructure and the danger of working near the front.
Local authorities are focusing on Slovyansk and Kramatorsk, the last major cities under Ukrainian control in Donetsk. Officials there are trying to prepare heating systems and keep basic networks working as temperatures fall. Smaller settlements closer to the fighting are a lower priority, because repairs there are harder to carry out and keep safe.
The pressure on the grid is visible. New photos show a Ukrainian thermal power plant after recent missile strikes, with damage from the attack apparent on its structures. Public reports don’t specify the exact location or level of damage, but any hit on a thermal plant cuts into both electricity production and district heating for surrounding areas.
Russian forces also struck deeper into the country. Ukrainian sources reported that Geran‑4 drones hit a warehouse complex on Kyiv’s western outskirts. In and around Dnipro and the nearby Samara area, drones triggered fires at a private house roof and private garages, injuring three people. Regional authorities said critical infrastructure sites also burned.
In the Bucha district of Kyiv region, Ukraine’s State Emergency Service reported that Russian forces attacked logistics infrastructure. The strike caused a fire that was later contained, and at least one person was reported injured. Logistics hubs in this ring around the capital handle military supplies and civilian goods, so damage there complicates both frontline support and normal economic activity.
Ukraine’s air force and air defense units said they shot down or suppressed 105 of 128 Russian drones and destroyed two Kh‑35 cruise missiles. Even with that interception rate, they recorded hits from air‑attack weapons in 18 locations and debris falling in nine others, underscoring how many targets are being engaged in a single night.
For residents of Donetsk and other exposed regions, the combination of damaged energy infrastructure and continuing strikes changes basic routines. Without central heating, families have to improvise with electric heaters, solid‑fuel stoves or other workarounds in multi‑story buildings not designed for them. Schools, hospitals and care homes face hard choices about whether they can operate safely.
Russian strategy relies heavily on sustained pressure against energy, logistics and industrial sites. Ukrainian authorities are trying to harden key locations, install backups and spread out storage so that no single attack creates a major breakdown. Developments to watch in the coming weeks include any large‑scale evacuations from unheated areas, broader blackouts away from the front, and public signals from Kyiv about the strain on air‑defense stocks as winter sets in.
Sources
- OSINT