Ukraine suffered widespread power outages after Russia launched one of its worst attacks on the country’s power grid, firing hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles overnight, officials said on Thursday.The strikes have crippled energy facilities in several regions, leaving millions without power as winter approaches.According to the Energy Ministry, a Russian attack on an energy facility in the town of Slavutych in Kiev Oblast days ago on October 1 caused a power outage lasting several hours at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.This comes after the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky was preparing for a meeting with the US President Donald Trump He met in Washington on Friday, where he is expected to request more American air defense systems and long-range missiles to counter Russian attacks.Trump, who spoke on the phone with the Russian president Vladimir Putin On Thursday they said they planned to meet in Budapest, Hungary, to “try to end the war,” although no date has been set yet.In a post on Truth Social, Trump said he would discuss his conversation with Putin “and much more” during his meeting with Zelensky, adding that “great progress was made” during the call.
Eight regions affected by power outages
Ukraine’s national energy utility, Ukrenergo, said there were power outages in eight regions following the barrage. DTEK, the country’s largest private energy company, reported major disruptions in Kyiv and said it had to halt natural gas production in the Poltava region due to damage. State-owned company Naftogaz said gas infrastructure was affected for the sixth time this month.Zelensky said Russia fired over 300 drones and 37 missiles and accused Moscow of using cluster munitions and repeatedly attacking the same sites to prevent emergency repairs. “This fall, the Russians are using every single day to attack our energy infrastructure,” he said on Telegram.The power grid remained one of Russia’s main objectives throughout the war. Ukrainian officials say Moscow is “weaponizing” winter by attacking energy facilities ahead of the cold season, a claim Russia denies, saying it only attacks military targets.Ukraine responded by attacking Russian oil refineries critical to its war effort. The Ukrainian military said it attacked the Saratov oil refinery in southern Russia on Thursday, the second such attack in two months, the AP news agency reported. Zelensky wrote in a post Most of the targets are infrastructure – a systematic terror campaign against our energy sector. “
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Zelensky’s mission in Washington
Zelensky is expected to seek cruise missiles, air defense systems and joint drone production deals from the United States. Kiev is also pushing for tougher sanctions against Moscow.The visit comes amid signs that Trump may increase pressure on Putin to make progress in peace negotiations. US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth warned on Wednesday that if Russia refuses to take part in talks, Washington will “take the necessary steps to impose on Russia the costs of its continued aggression.”Trump said on Wednesday that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had assured him that India would stop buying Russian oil, a move that could further strain Moscow’s war finances.Although Washington has hesitated to send long-range missiles such as Tomahawks for fear of escalation, the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War said such a move would “reflect Russia’s use of long-range cruise missiles” and would not expand the conflict.Meanwhile, Ukraine’s Ministry of Economy announced a new partnership with U.S. aerospace company Bell Textron Inc. to advance domestic aviation technology. The Texas-based company plans to open an office and testing center in Ukraine while training local engineers in the United States.During its visit to the US, a Ukrainian delegation also held talks with major American defense manufacturers including Lockheed Martin and Raytheon, as Kiev seeks to bolster its own defense industry amid the uncertain future of aid from Western allies.
