Russian Strikes Cut Ukrainian Power as Kyiv Hits Refinery

Russia launched a large-scale attack on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure on November 3, using 17 ballistic missiles and hundreds of drones, Ukrainian officials said. Facilities across areas from southern Odesa to western Rivne were hit, and emergency power cuts were reported in at least six regions.

Russian Energy Attacks Undercut U.S.-Led Peace Push

Russia’s latest barrage hit energy facilities across Ukraine on November 3, with Ukrainian officials reporting 17 ballistic missiles and hundreds of drones. Three of the five thermal power plants operated by private company DTEK were knocked offline, and emergency outages affected at least six regions. Rail infrastructure was also damaged, officials said.

An assault by Russia on a Kharkiv hospital left 73 people hurt and damaged its cardiology department, President Volodymyr Zelensky said. The attack followed a deadly strike in Zaporizhzhia, where at least 33 people were killed at a building used to distribute humanitarian aid, officials said.

Ukraine, meanwhile, struck an oil refinery in Yaroslavl, where two workers were injured and a fire broke out, the regional governor said. Kyiv has targeted Russian refineries as a way to restrict revenue that helps fund Moscow’s war effort.

The attacks landed as U.S.-brokered talks are scheduled to start in Abu Dhabi on November 10. Zelensky has said an energy ceasefire will be a priority for Ukraine. The strikes underscore the stakes of negotiations, while pressure on Kyiv to stop its attacks risks leaving Russia’s assault on Ukraine’s power system insufficiently addressed.

Ukraine’s Refinery Campaign Risks Derailing Peace Talks

Fresh attacks on energy infrastructure by both sides put the planned U.S.-led negotiations in sharper focus on November 3. Russia hit Ukrainian power facilities with missiles and drones, while Ukraine launched a large drone assault on a refinery in Russia’s Yaroslavl region, according to the region’s governor.

The refinery attack injured two workers and caused a fire, the governor said. Ukraine has intensified attacks against Russian oil facilities, which Kyiv views as a source of revenue for Moscow’s war effort. The campaign has drawn pressure from President Donald Trump to stop.

Russian strikes caused three DTEK thermal plants to stop generating electricity, and authorities reported emergency power cutoffs in six or more Ukrainian regions. A hospital in Kharkiv was also hit, injuring 73 people, Zelensky said. Russia says its attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure are retaliation for Ukrainian operations and are intended to weaken Ukraine’s military campaign.

U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff said three-way talks involving Russian, Ukrainian and U.S. officials would begin in Abu Dhabi on November 10, with peace and de-escalation on the agenda. Moscow has said European officials cannot join the tripartite meeting. As both sides continue strikes, the energy ceasefire that Zelensky wants to discuss remains a central test for the negotiations.