Renewed Barrages Target Critical Infrastructure
The Russian Federation has significantly escalated its attacks on Ukraine's energy system throughout February 2026, launching extensive missile and drone barrages that have caused widespread blackouts and severe disruptions to heating services across the country. Ukrainian officials reported major assaults on February 3rd and again on February 22nd, describing them as some of the 'most powerful' strikes this year.
These intensified attacks have targeted critical energy facilities, including thermal power plants, combined heat and power plants, and substations, in numerous regions. Cities such as Kyiv, Kharkiv, Dnipro, Odesa, Mykolaiv, Poltava, Sumy, Zaporizhzhia, and Kirovohrad have been among those affected. On February 3rd, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Russia used 'more than 70 missiles in total, as well as 450 attack drones' in a single overnight assault.
Humanitarian Crisis Deepens Amidst Cold
The deliberate targeting of energy infrastructure has plunged hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian residents into darkness and cold, with temperatures consistently remaining below freezing. In Kharkiv, over 100,000 residents were left without heat following the February 3rd attacks. In Kyiv, initially over 1,000 homes lost heating services, with later reports indicating that tens of thousands of civilians in more than 1,100 multi-story buildings would be without central heating for the remainder of the winter due to extensive damage.
The attacks have also led to at least one death and several injuries, as reported on February 22nd. The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU) highlighted that these systematic attacks create 'extreme hardship' for the civilian population, affecting access to electricity, heating, and water. Ukraine's electricity generation capacity has been severely diminished, with government estimates indicating a reduction to approximately 33% of pre-war levels by mid-2024, and a loss of more than half of its pre-war capacity by January 2026.
Official Reactions and International Concern
Ukrainian officials have vehemently condemned the strikes. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy denounced the attacks as a deliberate effort to undermine civilian life and morale, stating that Russia was 'taking advantage of the coldest days of winter to terrorise people'. Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal asserted that the targets were 'exclusively civilian'.
Conversely, the Russian Federation maintains that its strikes target 'military-industrial complex enterprises and energy facilities,' which it classifies as 'military objects.' The intensification of strikes follows a brief pause, reportedly agreed upon at the request of former U.S. President Donald Trump, which ended around February 1st. Andriy Kovalenko, head of Ukraine's Center for Countering Disinformation, stated that Russia intends to continue these attacks throughout February 2026.
Ongoing Struggle for Resilience
Emergency repair crews are working to restore services, but the scale of the damage necessitates ongoing emergency power outages and consumption restrictions across most regions. The repeated assaults underscore the severe challenges faced by Ukraine's energy sector and its population as the conflict continues into its fifth year.
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