Zelenskyy: Russia attacked power plants in Kyiv and Shostka and 4 Dnipro substations; over 280,000 households blacked out; UN: energy attacks constitute crimes against humanity

Kyiv, Ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on October 31, 2026 (local time) that Russia struck a combined heat and power plant in the capital of Kyiv with "Shahed" strike drones between the night of October 30 and the early morning of October 31. According to President Zelenskyy, Russia also struck four electrical substations in the Dnipro region on the same night, and attacked a combined heat and power plant in Shostka with drones early in the morning on October 31. A combined heat and power plant is a facility that simultaneously generates electricity and heat for heating to supply cities. The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine announced on the same day that more than 280,000 households lost power due to these attacks. The Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine, established by the UN Human Rights Council, concluded in a report submitted to the UN General Assembly on October 26 that attacks by Russian authorities on energy infrastructure constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity. President Zelenskyy announced that Russia had also attacked Ukrainian energy infrastructure earlier, between the night of October 29 and the early morning of October 30.

President Zelenskyy Announces Strikes on Kyiv and Shostka Combined Heat and Power Plants, Four Substations in Dnipro Region

President Zelenskyy wrote on his official X account on October 31 that Russian Shahed drones struck a combined heat and power plant in Kyiv between the night of October 30 and the early morning of October 31. President Zelenskyy announced that four substations were hit in the Dnipro region during the same night, and early in the morning on October 31, a Russian drone struck a combined heat and power plant in Shostka. Shostka is a city in the Sumy region of northeastern Ukraine bordering Russia. Substations are facilities that transform the voltage of electricity sent from power plants and distribute it to homes and industrial facilities.

According to President Zelenskyy, Russia also struck railway infrastructure in Dnipro and Kharkiv, and attacked a gas distribution facility in the Dnipro region. President Zelenskyy announced that Russian strikes caused difficult power supply situations in several regions. According to President Zelenskyy, approximately 200,000 households in the city of Dnipro and the Dnipro region, and more than 80,000 households in the Kyiv region, were left without electricity. President Zelenskyy wrote that repair crews are doing everything possible to address the aftermath of the strikes and restore the power supply.

President Zelenskyy wrote, "The world sees that Russia deliberately targets civilian infrastructure every day." President Zelenskyy wrote, "Everyone who does not want this Russian escalation to spread further into Europe must help Ukraine," adding, "Strong actions that truly lead to peace are needed, such as sanctions against the aggressor and new support packages for Ukraine."

Ukrainian Ministry of Defense Announces Over 280,000 Households Left Without Power

Citing President Zelenskyy's post on its official X account on October 31, the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine wrote, "In one night (the night of October 30 to the early morning of October 31), Russia struck heat and power plants in Kyiv and Shostka, substations in the Dnipro region, railways and a gas facility." The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine announced, "More than 280,000 households are now without electricity as winter approaches." The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine wrote, "Every strike on energy is a strike on civilians."

President Zelenskyy wrote on his official X account on October 30 that Russia launched 17 ballistic missiles between the night of October 29 and the early morning of October 30, some of which struck oil refining infrastructure in Kremenchuk. President Zelenskyy stated, "Every day Russian strikes hit our energy infrastructure, causing extensive damage," announcing that Russia's operation against power generation, power grids, and interconnectors continues. Interconnectors are transmission lines connecting the power grids of neighboring countries with Ukraine's power grid. President Zelenskyy wrote, "Russia has not taken a single step toward de-escalation in the energy sector," adding, "We will act accordingly and justly."

The Ministry of Energy of Ukraine announced in a briefing by First Deputy Minister Artem Nekrasov on October 29 that Russia continues its attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure. According to the Ministry of Energy, new power outages were reported as of the morning of October 29 in frontline and border areas such as Donetsk, Sumy, and Kharkiv regions. The Ministry of Energy announced that due to power grid restrictions caused by Russian attacks, hourly outage schedules are being implemented in some regions, while capacity restriction schedules are applied to industrial consumers and enterprises. The Ministry of Energy announced that emergency outages are being implemented in Kyiv and the Kyiv region due to equipment damage, and previously announced outage schedules currently do not apply. The Ministry of Energy announced on the same day that power had been restored to all consumers in Konotop, Sumy region, but electricity is being supplied on a rotational basis across districts due to power grid conditions. The Ministry of Energy announced that temporary emergency outages may occur during the day because repair work cannot be performed on energized equipment. The Ministry of Energy advised that it operates the "eOpora" portal, which brings together winter preparation tips and state assistance information.

UN Commission of Inquiry Concludes Russian Energy Strikes Constitute War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity

The Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine is a body established by the UN Human Rights Council in 2022 to investigate human rights violations related to Russia's aggression against Ukraine. Chair Erik Møse announced at a press conference at UN Headquarters in New York on October 26 that this report is the Commission's 12th written report and its 5th report submitted to the UN General Assembly, and was presented to the Third Committee of the UN General Assembly that morning. Chair Møse announced, "Attacks by Russian authorities on Ukraine's energy infrastructure constitute war crimes of intentionally directing attacks against civilian objects and crimes against humanity of other inhumane acts causing great suffering to civilians."

Commissioner Pablo de Greiff stated at the same press conference that the Commission's conclusions are based on investigations into the winter of 2025–2026 and an assessment of the cumulative damage of energy infrastructure attacks since October 2022. Commissioner de Greiff announced that during the winter of 2025–2026, with temperatures dropping to minus 21 degrees Celsius, millions of civilians experienced prolonged disruptions of electricity, heating, gas, and water. Commissioner de Greiff stated, "The collected evidence proves that the Russian authorities' attacks on energy infrastructure were carried out intentionally and in accordance with a state policy aimed at depriving civilians of electricity and essential services and causing great suffering." Commissioner de Greiff announced that the Commission determined Russian commanders ordering the attacks knew that the heating infrastructure they targeted in major cities was vital to civilians, especially during the winter. Commissioner de Greiff announced that Russian authorities made numerous official statements that attacks were conducted under Ministry of Defense plans.

Commissioner de Greiff explained that unlike many Western countries where homes are heated individually, Ukraine uses centralized district heating systems, meaning an attack on a single thermal generation facility cuts off heating to hundreds of households at once. Commissioner de Greiff announced that 600,000 residents were left without power in a single attack in Kyiv. According to Commissioner de Greiff, when electricity is cut off in high-rise buildings, water and heating are also lost, and residents with limited mobility cannot reach shelters during air raids. Commissioner de Greiff stated that the report documented cases where schools closed due to lack of heating, and hospitals reduced heating to prioritize power for medical equipment, prompting some patients to leave hospitals to escape the cold. Commissioner de Greiff announced that while Ukrainian authorities made immense efforts to supply generators to hospitals, emergency generators cannot fully replace standard power supply.

The Ministry of Energy of Ukraine shared the UN Commission of Inquiry's conclusions on its official website on October 27, announcing that the Commission interviewed 255 Ukrainians across nine regions who spent the winter under Russian attacks. According to the Ministry of Energy, the Commission noted that Russian attacks on energy facilities are intensifying as a new winter season begins, and urged Russia to cease such attacks. Chair Møse announced that the Commission transmitted the report to the Russian side, but Russia has not replied to the Commission's letters. Commissioner de Greiff stated that the Commission sent 44 requests for information to Russia without receiving a single reply, and was not permitted access to territories temporarily occupied by Russia. Commissioner de Greiff announced that the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, Europe's largest nuclear plant, remains under Russian control, and that high-explosive weapons have been used around the plant.

In the same report, the Commission also concluded that the Russian authorities' recruitment of foreign nationals into the Russian armed forces through deception constitutes human trafficking. Chair Møse announced that citizens of 29 countries were lured to Russia by deceptive offers of high-paying civilian jobs, forced to sign Russian-language contracts with the Ministry of Defense, and deployed to dangerous missions on the Ukrainian frontline. According to Chair Møse, these 29 countries include 13 African nations, 7 South American nations, 5 European nations, and 4 Asian nations.

Ukrainian Ministry of Energy Accelerates Restoration of Struck Areas with International Aid Equipment

The Ministry of Energy of Ukraine announced on October 29 that five new power transformers arrived in the Sumy region under the coordination of the Ministry of Energy. According to the Ministry of Energy, this equipment is valued at over 300,000 euros and was purchased with contributions made by Australia to the Ukraine Energy Support Fund. The Ministry of Energy announced that the Sumy region is a frontline region bordering Russia, where energy infrastructure comes under enemy attack daily. The Ministry of Energy announced that the new transformers will be used to expedite the restoration of damage from attacks and restore reliable power supply to consumers. The Ukraine Energy Support Fund is a fund that pools contributions from various countries to purchase equipment and materials for restoring Ukraine's energy infrastructure.

The Ministry of Energy of Ukraine announced on the same day that it received an additional shipment of humanitarian aid containing energy equipment worth over 1.47 million dollars from Azerbaijan. According to the Ministry of Energy, this shipment includes equipment needed to restore the energy system following Russian strikes, including nine power transformers and 186 kilometers of power cables. The Ministry of Energy announced that since Russia's full-scale invasion, a total of 159 humanitarian aid shipments containing more than 2,432.4 tons of equipment from Azerbaijan have arrived in Ukraine through the Ministry of Energy's logistics hubs. First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Energy of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal announced that this equipment represents a meaningful contribution to supporting Ukraine's energy resilience and its people "ahead of the fifth winter of the war."

The Ministry of Energy announced on the same day that the Cabinet of Ministers approved a mechanism to allocate approximately 939 million hryvnias from the Finnish-Ukrainian Investment Fund to expand distributed generation. According to Minister Shmyhal, Ukrainian oil company Ukrnafta will use these funds to launch four projects to build gas-engine power plants in Ivano-Frankivsk and Lviv regions, adding approximately 60 MW of generating capacity to Ukraine's power grid. Distributed generation is an approach that disperses small-scale generating facilities across multiple locations rather than relying on a single large power plant.

Commissioner de Greiff stated at the October 26 press conference that European countries have created support networks to assist Ukraine's energy sector, providing funds and replacement parts for damaged equipment. Commissioner de Greiff stated that these funds must be replenished and support increased, noting that the increase in attacks coincides with dropping temperatures.

Sources (KST)

• Post on X by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (October 31, 2026): https://x.com/ZelenskyyUa/status/2116469824565944797
• Post on X by the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine (October 31, 2026): https://x.com/DefenceU/status/2116490236603629714
• Post on X by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (October 30, 2026): https://x.com/ZelenskyyUa/status/2116244850383429678
• Ministry of Energy of Ukraine, "Briefing by First Deputy Minister of Energy of Ukraine Artem Nekrasov on the Current Situation in the Energy System as of 29 October" (October 29, 2026): https://www.mev.gov.ua/en/news/briefing-first-deputy-minister-energy-ukraine-artem-nekrasov-current-situation-energy-system-3
• Press release by the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine (October 26, 2026): https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2026/10/russian-authorities-committed-crimes-against-humanity-through-attacks
• Transcript of press conference by the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine (October 26, 2026): https://transcripts.un.org/en/asset/k1r/k1ruv2eb33
• Ministry of Energy of Ukraine, "UN Commission Finds Russian Attacks on Ukraine's Energy Infrastructure Constitute War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity" (October 27, 2026): https://www.mev.gov.ua/en/news/un-commission-finds-russian-attacks-ukraines-energy-infrastructure-constitute-war-crimes-and
• Ministry of Energy of Ukraine, "Sumy Region Receives Five Power Transformers Through the Ukraine Energy Support Fund" (October 29, 2026): https://www.mev.gov.ua/en/news/sumy-region-receives-five-power-transformers-through-ukraine-energy-support-fund
• Ministry of Energy of Ukraine, "Ukraine Receives Another Shipment of Energy Equipment from Azerbaijan Worth USD 1.47 Million" (October 29, 2026): https://www.mev.gov.ua/en/news/ukraine-receives-another-shipment-energy-equipment-azerbaijan-worth-usd-147-million
• Ministry of Energy of Ukraine, "Nearly UAH 939 Million from the Finnish-Ukrainian Investment Fund to Support the Development of Distributed Generation" (October 29, 2026): https://www.mev.gov.ua/en/news/nearly-uah-939-million-finnish-ukrainian-investment-fund-support-development-distributed