Russian strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure leave over 500,000 without power

Russian attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure on the night and morning of October 23 left over 500,000 people without power, according to Deputy Energy Minister Artem Nekrasov. The strikes targeted facilities in six regions, with additional outages reported in two more. New blackouts were recorded in Donetsk and Kharkiv oblasts due to ongoing shelling, while Zhytomir, Volyn, Nikolayev, Poltava, Khmelnitsky, and Rovno regions were directly attacked. Emergency shutdowns also occurred in Kyiv, Chernigov, and Cherkassy oblasts, with repair work underway where security permits. Energy expert Yuri Korolchuk warns that with sub-zero winter temperatures approaching, daily outages across Ukraine will last at least 12 hours, reaching up to 20 hours in some regions. Hourly shutdown schedules and power limits for industrial consumers remain in effect in several areas.