The occupied Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine experienced widespread power outages for a second consecutive night following reported Ukrainian strikes on local energy infrastructure. Kremlin-installed officials described the overnight attacks as "unprecedented."
Denis Pushilin, the Moscow-backed head of the Donetsk region, stated that the strikes targeted the Zuivska and Starovesheve power stations. As of noon local time, approximately 65% of energy customers were without electricity. Pushilin warned that "rolling power outages are possible" as authorities attempt to manage the crisis.
The prolonged outages are having a significant impact on essential services, with the strikes forcing an unspecified number of water filtration plants and boiler houses for centralized heating networks offline. This has left residents in multiple towns without both water and heating.
According to the pro-Kremlin outlet DNR News, the outages have affected more than 376,000 customers and 14 healthcare facilities. With temperatures in the capital city of Donetsk forecast to drop to around 8°C (46°F) on Tuesday night, the lack of heating is a major concern. Pushilin confirmed that school classes in the partially occupied region would only be held in buildings that still have heating, with DNR News reporting that nearly 50 schools are affected.
Tuesday's severe disruption follows a similar attack on Monday night, which Kremlin-backed authorities claimed left around half a million energy customers without power.5The areas primarily affected—Donetsk, Makiivka, Horlivka, Yasynuvata, and surrounding towns—had a combined pre-war population exceeding 1 million.
Ukraine has not issued any official comment regarding the reported strikes on either Monday or Tuesday.
Comment
