A firefighter works at the site of the Russian drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Sumy region, Ukraine in this handout picture released August 27, 2025. Press service of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine in Sumy region/Handout via REUTERS
KYIV (Reuters) -Russia launched a massive drone attack on energy and gas transport infrastructure across six Ukrainian regions overnight, leaving more than 100,000 people without power, Ukrainian officials said on Wednesday.
Russian forces significantly damaged gas transport infrastructure in Poltava region and struck equipment at one of the key substations in the Sumy region, the energy ministry said on the Telegram messaging service.
The attacks left more than 100,000 people without power in the Poltava, Sumy and Chernihiv regions, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said.
Ukraine's main gas production facilities are located in Poltava and Kharkiv regions. Kharkiv region was also hit overnight, as were the regions of Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk, the energy ministry said.
In recent weeks, Russia has stepped up attacks on Ukrainian gas production and import infrastructure despite efforts by U.S. President Donald Trump to end the war in Ukraine.
"We regard the Russian attacks as a continuation of the Russian Federation's deliberate policy of destroying Ukraine's civilian infrastructure ahead of the heating season," the energyministry said.
Ukraine had faced a serious gas shortage since Russian missile strikes earlier this year prompted a 40% drop in production.
Ukraine's energy ministry said last week that energy facilities had been attacked 2,900 times since March 2025.
The attack on Poltava region temporarily cut power to consumers, which has since been restored, Governor Volodymyr Kohut said in a statement on the Telegram messaging app.
Significant parts of the northern city of Sumy were left without power, the energy ministry said.
All water utility facilities were relying on emergency backups as of Wednesday morning, said Serhii Kryvosheienko, the head of Sumy city military administration.
Healthcare facilities also used backup power sources, he added.
The Ukrainian Air Force said it had downed 74 drones out of 95 launched by Russia overnight, and that 21 drones had struck nine locations around the country.
Russia has denied targeting civilians since launching its full-scale invasion in February 2022 but says energy systems and other infrastructure are legitimate targets because they help Ukraine's war effort.
(Reporting by Anastasiia Malenko; Editing by Christian Schmollinger, Tomasz Janowski and Aidan Lewis)
