Putin spreads fear: This is Russia's brutal tactic ahead of winter

In just a few days, power facilities across the country have been hit, leaving millions of people without electricity, water, and heating — just as temperatures begin to drop.

Ukraine yesterday introduced power outages in almost all regions. The national grid operator Ukrenergo announced that transmission lines and substations had been damaged, and that consumption limits were necessary to stabilize the system.

The largest private producer and distributor, DTEK, reported that within only a few days it had restored power for nearly two million customers, mostly in Kyiv, Odesa, and the Dnipropetrovsk region.

Tanjug/AP Photo/Vasilisa Stepanenko

In the capital, power outages also caused a drop in water pressure, while parts of the metro system operated on backup power.

In several regions, including the Sumy and Cherkasy areas, authorities introduced rotating blackouts and urged citizens to conserve energy.

Zelensky: “Putin is trying to sow chaos before winter”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Russia is using cold weather as a weapon.

“They can’t show any success on the battlefield, so they’re trying to destroy our energy sector. Their goal is to spread chaos and fear ahead of winter,” he stated.

EPA/SERGEY SHESTAK

He added that Russian forces launched more than 150 drones and dozens of missiles in just a few days, targeting power plants, substations, and gas facilities.

Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko stated that this week’s attacks also hit facilities of the state company Naftogaz, as well as several thermal power plants in central Ukraine.

“Their goal is to deplete our gas reserves and force us to import in the middle of winter,” he said.

Repeting the brutal tactic

According to estimates from military and energy analysts cited by Reuters and Bloomberg, Russia is repeating the brutal tactic it used in past winters — systematically attacking power and gas facilities to reduce Ukraine’s resilience and undermine civilian morale.

The goal is not immediate blackouts, but long‑term exhaustion through constant repairs, overloads, and shortages of parts.

The attacks are timed with the change of season: as temperatures fall, any damage has a greater effect and repairs on the grid become slower.

Analysts warn that Moscow is using a “defense‑saturation” tactic — launching massive waves of drones and missiles to deplete Ukraine’s air‑defense missiles, then precisely striking key transmission points.