Russia plans winter campaign to cripple Ukraine's power grid

Russia has launched an early winter campaign of missile and drone strikes targeting Ukraine's energy infrastructure, beginning with an attack on Kyiv before dawn Wednesday that left neighborhoods without power and water. Ukrainian officials say this marks the start of a Russian effort to cripple the power grid and break civilian morale. An intercepted Russian plan, obtained by The New York Times, outlines a three-stage campaign using up to 1,000 missiles, drones, and bombs to target substations, power plants, and water systems, aiming to cut electricity in Kyiv, Kharkiv, and Odesa by 90 percent and force Ukraine's three operating nuclear plants offline. Ukrainian officials have shown the document to European partners, though its authenticity could not be independently verified. Ukraine has spent months reinforcing critical facilities with protective structures and installing smaller gas-powered turbines, but experts warn these measures can only cushion the blow. Last winter, Kyiv residents endured daily power outages of over twelve hours, and the grid remains fragile after four years of war, with analysts noting that a few attacks could undo months of repairs.