Residents of Odesa faced their second day without power on Monday, following a major Russian missile strike over the weekend that targeted Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. The attack, Russia’s largest in nearly three months, killed seven people and caused extensive damage to the energy grid.
Power distributor DTEK reported that the situation in Odesa remains critical, with large areas still without electricity. Restoration of power to critical infrastructure in the city’s Kyivskyi and Primorskyi districts is “not yet technically possible,” DTEK announced via Telegram.
As of Monday morning, power had been restored to 400,000 homes, but 321,000 consumers were still without service. Odesa Governor Oleh Kiper stated that water and heating services were being gradually restored, with 445 shelters providing essential services to affected residents.
The missile strike is the latest in months of attacks on Odesa, which has seen repeated targeting of its port and energy infrastructure. Similar strikes in the autumn of 2022 left the region without power for days and led to energy rationing during the winter.
On Sunday, national grid operator Ukrenergo announced temporary power cuts across Ukraine from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. as engineers raced to repair the damage. The energy ministry reported that nearly 150,000 consumers had their electricity restored following the attack.
On Monday, most regions, including Kyiv, were expected to experience rolling blackouts of up to eight hours. The central Cherkasy region faced six-hour outages, while the northern Sumy region anticipated cuts of four to six hours. No power outages were planned for five western regions.
Despite restoration efforts, the energy system remains fragile as winter approaches, with officials warning of further disruptions if attacks continue.