Massive Russian attack on energy sector: blackout in Dnipro and Zaporizhzhia regions

On the evening of 7 January and at night of 8 January, Russian troops launched massive drone strikes on Ukraine's energy infrastructure. As a result of the attack, the Dnipro and Zaporizhzhia regions were almost completely cut off from electricity. Critical infrastructure in both regions was operating on backup power, the Energy Ministry said.

Dnipropetrovska oblast

In Dnipro in the evening explosions occurred, after which part of the city was left without electricity supply. An air alert was declared in the regional centre and the region. According to the State Emergency Service and regional authorities, the strikes also damaged infrastructure in Dniprovsky, Kryvyi Rih and Pavlohrad districts, fires broke out, and part of the region was left without electricity for a long time.

The mayor of Dnipro said that all hospitals were switched to generators, and water supply in residential buildings was maintained by alternative power sources. Due to the power outage, electric transport was replaced by buses in the morning, for which the city increased the number of rolling stock on the routes. There were also problems with mobile communications.

The attack also affected railway traffic. Ukrzaliznytsia reported that trains in the region were switched to backup diesel locomotives, and some flights were delayed. The stations were powered by generators, and there were invincibility points with heat, charging and Starlink communication.

Zaporizhzhia region

In Zaporizhzhia region, including the city of Zaporizhzhia, around 22:00 the region was completely cut off from electricity supply as a result of a massive drone attack. Due to the large-scale power outage, mobile communications operated in emergency mode and base stations were switched to batteries with an estimated life of up to 8 hours. At the same time, operators and local authorities deployed generators.

According to the regional authorities, water supply was restored from generators within an hour and a half, and hospitals switched to backup power almost instantly. More than 200 indestructibility points were quickly deployed in the region. Traffic lights worked autonomously, and from three o'clock in the morning, power engineers began to gradually return electricity and heat to homes.

As of 05:00 on 8 January, less than 7 hours after the attack, Zaporizhzhyaoblenergo specialists completed the main restoration work and restored electricity supply to residents of the government-controlled part of the region. Almost all districts in Zaporizhzhia have also restored water supply, and the networks were filled in stages to avoid damage.

The power outage also affected train traffic. As in Dnipropetrovska oblast, the railway service was temporarily operated using backup diesel locomotives, and the stations were powered by generators.

The authorities of both regions emphasised that it was one of the largest blackouts in recent years, but all services were working from the first minutes, and recovery work is continuing in an intensive mode.