Russia Fires 1,000 Missiles and Drones at Ukraine's Power Grid as Winter Hits

Russia has launched a new winter campaign against Ukraine's energy infrastructure, with a leaked document revealing plans for up to 1,000 missiles, drones, and bombs targeting 60 critical infrastructure sites [258345]. The strikes threaten to cut off electricity, heating, and water for civilians as temperatures drop [258354].

The document, which Ukraine says it intercepted, names substations near Ukraine's western border as potential first targets. Those substations carry electricity into Ukraine from Europe [258345].

Russia is using a new type of jet-powered drone called the Geran to strike Ukraine, according to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a Washington-based research group. The drones fly faster than earlier models, allowing them to break through Ukraine's air defenses more reliably [258363]. Because the drones can hit targets on their own, Russia does not need to spend as many missiles on current strikes. The ISW expects Russia to save those missiles for its winter campaign against Ukraine's energy system [258363].

Russia's current jet drones reach about 600 kilometers per hour. Ukraine expects the next models to hit 900 kilometers per hour. At those speeds, interception becomes far harder. To prepare, Ukraine is building training simulators that copy the flight behavior of these faster drones, with the goal of training pilots to spot and stop them before they strike [257044].

The human cost is mounting. A Russian strike on two passenger buses killed 30 people in Kramatorsk, as Moscow's war on Ukraine entered its 1,688th day. In Pryluky, the death toll reached 22, including five children. Rescuers finished searching the rubble. Blackouts have returned to Kyiv [258352].

A new wave of Russian strikes on power and energy infrastructure is pushing some Kyiv residents to consider leaving the capital. The attacks have damaged essential services as winter approaches. With temperatures set to drop, many fear losing heat and electricity. Some families are already packing bags and making plans to move to safer areas [258042].

Russia is also increasing attacks on Ukraine's data centers, but experts say Ukraine's internet is too strong to fully shut down. However, the attacks could make internet services more expensive for Ukrainians [258415].

Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces destroyed a record number of Russian air defense systems and radars in September, according to the Ukrainian military. One target was hit 552 kilometers (343 miles) inside Russian-held territory. Each strike was recorded on video through the Delta battlefield system, Ukraine said [255490].

Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian supply trucks reached 770 in September, the highest number of any month this year, according to an analyst. The figure rose from 630 in August. The increase comes even as Russian supply trucks now travel in convoys protected by their own air defense systems. The analyst warned that supplying Crimea is becoming a nightmare for Russia, and that winter conditions will make the situation worse [258341].

A drone attack has forced Yandex to shut down a data center located on the grounds of a sanctioned Russian machine-tool plant. Ukraine's General Staff said its forces also struck a Gazprom refinery in Bashkortostan. The mayor of Salavat said an unnamed enterprise in the area is still operating [258361].