Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Russia had carried out one of its broadest assaults on Ukraine's power infrastructure, with more than 15 energy facilities struck during a single night. Russia's defence ministry in Moscow acknowledged an overnight bombardment of Ukrainian infrastructure in a statement.
Among the targets were Ukraine's largest steel facility, located in Kryvyi Rih, a power substation serving Zhytomyr in the northwest, a steel plant in Zaporizhzhia, and a cargo ship travelling through the Black Sea. The outlet that reported those details noted that its own verification of the information remained incomplete.
In a post on X, Zelenskyy reported that more than 15 energy facilities across Ukraine had been struck within a single night, describing it as one of the largest concentrations of strikes on the country's power infrastructure to date. He added that Russian forces appeared to be deliberately broadening the scope of their anti-energy campaign in order to stretch Ukraine's reserves and repair capacity.
Zelenskyy reported that over the 12-hour period between 7 pm and 7 am, Russian forces deployed more than 320 Shahed drones. He noted that while defence forces intercepted a considerable portion of them, the volume and sustained tempo of the strikes — directed particularly at energy infrastructure — had produced adverse outcomes.
Strikes on energy infrastructure, spanning generation and transmission sites, hit at least 15 locations distributed across various parts of Ukraine. Engineers and crews from Ukrainian energy companies were deployed to carry out repairs, with work still under way at the time of reporting.
Conditions were reported as most strained across seven locations: Lutsk, Rivne, Zhytomyr, Vinnytsia, Shepetivka, Slavuta, and Netishyn. Strikes on power infrastructure also extended across the Kharkiv, Kyiv, and Dnipro regions, along with several other areas.
Photographs released following overnight attacks on Zaporizhzhia showed structural damage to residential areas. Ukrainian media reported that five people sustained injuries, including a girl aged 11, according to early reports. Footage showed responders guiding occupants out of the affected properties.
One person was killed and 19 others sustained injuries when Kherson came under attack, according to Oleksandr Prokudin, who heads the region's military administration. In a Telegram post attributed to Prokudin, the Korabelnyi district of the city was identified as among the areas struck by Russian forces. Among those affected, a child sustained injuries, and the fatality was reported to be an emergency medical worker.
Zelenskyy also commented on the decision to pause the Graham Act — a legislative measure aimed at increasing pressure on Russia — telling reporters the bill "could have helped enormously" and calling on voices within the United States to push for its passage.
Senator Richard Blumenthal, responding to the pause placed on the Graham Act, contended that the move disregarded the views of most Americans, their elected representatives across both chambers, and allied governments in Europe. Representative Don Beyer argued on X that the decision undermined commitments to Ukraine and ran counter to the legislative purpose behind laws aimed at holding Russia accountable for its conduct in that country.
Kirill Dmitriev, who serves as Vladimir Putin's investment envoy, took a different position, describing the development on X as a historically notable turning point. He contended that the paused sanctions carried the potential to halt virtually all economic activity between Russia and the United States, with the primary burden falling on American markets and global trade, and added that continued economic ties between the two countries would benefit both sides, contribute to stability in international markets, and help lay groundwork for lasting peace. Dmitriev called for replacing punitive measures and adversarial postures with open negotiations, arrangements that benefit all parties involved, and a collective commitment to maintaining international order.
