Ukraine's PM says Russia struck energy infrastructure 2,147 times since his appointment

Why it matters

Koretsky's interview documents the pace of attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure in 2026 — 2,147 strikes in little more than three months, an intensity he says is several times higher than the previous year. It shows that the energy ceasefire announced on 11 October did not stop the strikes, and links the attacks to Russian planning, including intercepted documents describing up to 1,000 missiles, drones and bombs aimed at substations, hydroelectric and thermal power stations, and boiler houses, with separate plans for cities of more than 500,000 people such as Kyiv, Kharkiv and Odesa. The prime minister warns that Ukraine's transmission network, stretching thousands of kilometres, cannot be fully protected, and that Ukrainians should brace for a harder winter with possible additional pressure on Kyiv's water supply.

What happened

In an interview with BBC News Ukraine published on 19 October, Prime Minister Serhiy Koretsky said Russia has struck Ukrainian energy infrastructure 2,147 times since his appointment on 16 July, with no day passing without an attack. He said the intensity is several times higher than the previous year and that the transmission system has suffered the largest destruction, with thousands of kilometres of lines that cannot be fully shielded. He credited the grid's continued operation to winter preparation and resilience plans initiated by the president and approved by the National Security and Defence Council.

The interview came against a backdrop of escalating strikes. On 17 October, President Zelensky said Russia had carried out one of the largest attacks on the energy system so far, hitting more than 15 generation and transmission facilities across several oblasts. Overnight on 19 October, Russia struck again with missiles, damaging 10 energy facilities; Ukrenergo reported new outages in 10 oblasts — Volyn, Zhytomyr, Rivne, Ternopil, Khmelnytskyi, Vinnytsia, Kirovohrad, Kharkiv, Odesa and Mykolaiv — and more than half a million families lost electricity. Air defence neutralised four missiles and 247 drones, with hits recorded at 25 locations. Koretsky warned Ukrainians to prepare for more difficult conditions this winter and said Russia has an active focus on Kyiv's water supply.

How Ukrainian sources describe it

All four sources covering Koretsky's interview are Ukrainian. Their reporting centres on the prime minister's BBC News Ukraine interview and emphasises his warnings about the scale and continuity of Russian strikes. The outlets stress the failure of the 11 October energy ceasefire and the human impact of the attacks — over half a million families losing power after the 19 October strike, outages across ten oblasts, and parts of Vinnytsia left without electricity and water. Coverage also highlights the role of Ukrainian repair crews, government-held reserves of equipment and approved resilience plans in keeping the grid functioning.

Background

On 24 September, Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal said Ukraine had obtained two documents detailing Russian planning for winter strikes on the energy sector. On 2 October, The New York Times reported that Ukraine had shown them to European partners; the intercepted plans described up to 1,000 missiles, drones and bombs targeting substations, hydroelectric and thermal power stations, and boiler houses, with separate plans for cities of more than 500,000 people including Kyiv, Kharkiv and Odesa. Analysts at the Institute for the Study of War said Ukraine's 2026 battlefield successes appeared to be pushing Russia to shift focus from battlefield advances to a winter 2026–2027 campaign aimed at forcing capitulation. On 17 October, President Zelensky described one of the largest strikes on the energy system so far, hitting more than 15 generation and transmission facilities.