Ukraine reportedly strikes thermal power plant in occupied Donetsk Oblast
Editor's note: This is a developing story and is being updated.
Ukraine's military reportedly struck a Russian-controlled thermal power plant in occupied Donetsk Oblast overnight on Nov. 18, Russian Telegram media channels reported.
Purported videos posted on social media appear to show a large explosion and subsequent fire emanating from the Zuivska Thermal Power Plant in the occupied community of Zuhres in Donetsk Oblast, following a projectile strike on the target.
The Kyiv Independent cannot immediately verify the reports.
Ukraine's military has not yet commented on the reported attack, and it was not immediately clear as to what weaponry was used to strike the plant.
Ukraine routinely launches strikes against military and industrial facilities in Russia and Russian-occupied territories, primarily relying on domestically developed drones. The Zuivska power plant has been a target of both Ukrainian and Russian attacks since Russia first launched its invasion into the Donbas region in 2014.
No information was immediately available on the extent of the damage caused or on any possible casualties.
The attack comes as Kyiv has intensified attacks against Russian oil, gas, and energy infrastructure, a key source of Moscow's revenues helping to fuel its all-out invasion of Ukraine.
Independent Russian media outlet Novaya Gazeta Europe reported that power outages in Russia have increase by about one-third over the past year. It's estimated that Ukrainian drone attacks have caused 467 outages in 2025.
In recent months, Moscow has also intensified attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure in an attempt to plunge Ukraine into another harsh winter.
On Nov. 8, Ukrainian cities sustained "one of the largest direct ballistic missile attacks on energy facilities" since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, then-Energy Minister Svitlana Hrynchuk said. The attack forced Ukrainian cities, including Kyiv, to implement over 12 hours of emergency power cuts to stabilize the energy situation.
