Over One Million Ukrainians Left Without Heating and Water After Russian Strikes

Fri Jan 09 2026 10:27:46 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

A series of recent Russian drone attacks have left more than one million residents in the Dnipropetrovsk region without essential heating and water supplies as winter approaches.

Russian drone strikes have severely disrupted heating and water services for over a million people in Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine, according to officials. The attacks aim to cripple Ukraine's energy infrastructure during harsh winter conditions. President Zelensky has condemned these actions as inhumane and is seeking additional support from Western allies amid ongoing peace negotiations.

Russian drone strikes on Ukraine have left more than one million people in the region of Dnipropetrovsk without heating and water supplies, Ukraine's deputy prime minister says.

Oleksiy Kuleba added that work was continuing to restore services following the large-scale attack, which damaged infrastructure across the south-east.

Electricity supplies were also disrupted for thousands more people in neighbouring Zaporizhzhia, but power has since been restored.

Russia has recently intensified attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure, aimed at paralysing power supplies during a harsh winter. President Volodymyr Zelensky accused it of mockery and pleaded for Western support.

Hospitals, water facilities and other critical services in Dnipropetrovsk were operating on backup systems, the energy ministry said, while residents were urged to limit electricity usage to avoid further strain on the grid.

DTEK, Ukraine's biggest private energy provider, is living in permanent crisis mode because of Russian attacks on the grid, its chief executive noted, with most of Ukraine suffering from lengthy power cuts during winter.

Maxim Timchenko, CEO of DTEK, stated that the intensity of strikes had been so frequent we just don't have time to recover. As the fourth anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion approaches, he emphasized that additional attacks on the energy system, which disrupts heating and electricity for civilians during winter, lack military logic.

Zelensky continues to call for resilience among Ukrainians and insists that these circumstances shouldn't deter Western nations from supplying air defense systems. During a recent diplomatic tour, he met with allies to discuss ongoing support while warning of inadequate guarantees from European partners regarding protection against renewed aggression.

The conflict has seen Russian forces aim for total control over the Donbas region, and as negotiations for peace continue, critical decisions remain unresolved particularly concerning territorial disputes. Russian President Vladimir Putin has shown no inclination to reduce demands for annexing eastern Ukrainian territories.