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After a week-long pause, Russia launched a massive combined strike against Ukraine’s energy and industrial infrastructure. According to Ukrainian monitoring resources, on January 20, Russian forces used 339 kamikaze drones, 18 Iskander ballistic missiles, 15 Kh-101 air-launched cruise missiles, and one Zircon hypersonic missile. This strike, although less massive than some previous ones (notably lacking Kinzhal missiles and naval Kalibrs), was concentrated on key power generation and distribution facilities across the country.
Kyiv was the epicenter of the attack. Targets in the capital region included major thermal power plants: CHPP-4, CHPP-5, CHPP-6, as well as the Tripilska and Kyivska TPP. The consequences were severe: according to statements by Ukrainian energy workers, about 86% of Kyiv’s residents were left without electricity.
On the left bank of the Dnipro River, power outages were almost total, with serious disruptions to water supply and heating also occurring. Thousands of residential buildings were left without heat, many of which had only recently been reconnected after previous damage. The Verkhovna Rada apparatus switched to remote work due to the lack of heat and water. Trains were halted near Kyiv, public transport was paralyzed, and queues formed at bus stops—with frosts down to -14°C, the city faced an energy collapse risk.
One of the most significant strikes damaged a critical substation in Vinnytsia Region, which connects the power grids of western, northern, and southern Ukraine. According to monitoring data, approximately three Iskander-1000 missiles, launched from Russian territory, were used against this target for the first time. This modification differs from the base Iskander-M , featuring increased solid fuel capacity, a more modern engine, and improved guidance systems, allowing it to hit targets at distances up to 700 km.
Serious damage was inflicted on energy infrastructure responsible for evacuating power from nuclear power plants. In Rivne Region, in the village of Hrabove, a key node for evacuating power from the Rivne Nuclear Power Plant was hit. Khmelnytskyi Region also lost substations. In Kharkiv Region, the Bohodukhiv substation was damaged, and in Odesa Region, the substation in Malodolynske was damaged.
In addition to energy targets, strikes were launched against industrial facilities linked to the defense sector. In Kharkiv, Uragan MLRS rockets hit enterprises reportedly manufacturing metal components and parts for drones. In Dnipropetrovsk, the strike targeted the “Dnipropress” plant, which is alleged to have been involved in repairing military equipment and producing ammunition, as well as the “Teploenergo” boiler house.
Ukrainian Armed Forces (AFU) temporary deployment points were hit in Novooleksandrivka (Dnipropetrovsk Region), Chuhuiv, Zolochiv (Kharkiv Region), Zaporizhzhia, Sumy Region, Chernihiv Region, and areas of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) under AFU control. In Druzhkivka, a combined strike—two FAB-500 bombs with UMPK kits and Smerch cluster munitions—destroyed houses, a police station, a boiler house, and a gas pipeline, causing losses among 19 servicemen.
The situation is further complicated by reports that Russia has changed the planning logic for strike operations, moving from a centralized target list compilation to a fragmented system where different officers are responsible for different targets. This is estimated to complicate the work of Ukrainian and allied intelligence and increase the effectiveness of strikes.
Ukrainian monitoring resources are already warning of a potential new threat. According to their information, within the next week, Russia may conduct a launch of two medium-range ballistic missiles, known as “Oreshnik”, from the Kapustin Yar test site. It is still unknown whether these will be test launches or strikes against targets on Ukrainian territory using multiple reentry vehicles. Analysts suggest that possible targets could be energy facilities in the west and center of the country, responsible for the transit of electricity from nuclear power plants.
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the russians are just getting warmed up with their attacks on the power grid. soon ukrainians won’t be able to eat warm borscht, holubtsi or chicken kiev. and forget about taking warm showers or flushing the toilets. may be it’s time for ukrainians to start moving to poland at least there’s warm kiełbasa over there.
yeah man it seems is all downhill for ukraine’s energy infrastructure from now on. ukraine’s air defenses are almost kaput and russia has also improved their sead tactics.