‘Deliberate torment’: Ukrainians left without heating after Russian attacks

Russia hits Ukraine’s energy infrastructure hard, slams plans for post-ceasefire multinational force in the country.Published On 8 Jan 2026Ukrainian officials are racing to restore power in the southeast after major Russian strikes on critical infrastructure plunged hundreds of thousands into darkness in the depths of winter.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Thursday that the overnight strikes had aimed to “break” his country, cutting off “electricity, heating and water supplies” in Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk, with repair crews still battling to restore services in the latter region.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Ukraine reports ‘concrete results’ from talks with Western allieslist 2 of 3Will Russia accept Western troops in Ukraine?list 3 of 3Macron, Starmer, Zelenskyy sign Ukraine troop deployment pactend of listHe urged allies to respond to Russia’s “deliberate torment” of Ukraine.“There is absolutely no military rationale in such strikes on the energy sector and infrastructure that leave people without electricity and heating in wintertime,” he said.As in previous winters, Russia has intensified its strikes on Ukraine’s energy sites in what Kyiv and its allies call a deliberate strategy to wear down the civilian population, as the fourth anniversary of the Russian invasion looms.More than 1 million people were affected in the industrialised region of Dnipropetrovsk, according to Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Oleksii Kuleba.Military head Vladyslav Gaivanenko said Dnipropetrovsk’s critical energy infrastructure had been left damaged.The Ministry of Energy said nearly 800,000 people in the region remained without electricity early on Thursday. Eight mines across the region had faced blackouts, but workers were evacuated.Mykola Lukashuk, head of the Dnipropetrovsk regional council, said water supplies to the strategic city of Pavlohrad and nearby areas could take up to a day to repair.