Ukraine war latest: Russia launches biggest mass attack on Ukraine's energy infrastructure this year

Key developments on Nov. 3:

• Russia hits substation critical for nuclear power plant in biggest mass attack on Ukraine's energy this year
• Civil unrest near Kyiv exposes deeper social tensions but 'outside influence' played a role, Budanov says
• Russian missile attack hits Kharkiv medical facility, injuring 73
• Putin orders Russian data centers to reserve capacity to assist state IT infrastructure
• Ukraine's ombudsman, sanctioned Russian commissioner invited to Melania Trump's White House event, source says

Russia unleashed its biggest mass attack on Ukraine’s energy facilities this year, targeting substations, transmission systems, and power plants across ten oblasts and cutting off power to households across the country on Nov. 3.

Russia directed three drones at a substation critical for the stable operation of the Khmelnytskyi Nuclear Power Plant, Ukraine's energy minister Denys Shmyhal said on Nov. 3.

"Such actions pose a threat not only to Ukraine but also to the nuclear safety of all of Europe," Shmyhal said.

The minister had informed the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) about the incident and called upon Ukraine's international partners to respond to the attack.

Energy officials recorded one of the largest waves of Russian ballistic missiles targeting critical infrastructure, with Russia also launching cruise missiles, jet-powered drones, and propeller-powered drones, Vitalii Zaichenko, CEO of Ukrenergo, the country's state grid operator, told the Kyiv Independent.

In total, Russia attacked Ukraine with 289 drones, 17 ballistic missiles, and 59 cruise missiles, Shmyhal said.

Ukraine's government is bracing itself for another energy crisis this year following the hardest wartime winter in 2025-2026, which saw millions of people without heating and power in subzero temperatures.

Kyiv is particularly vulnerable as Russia attempts to cut the capital off from power supplies, while officials failed to prepare the city to the fullest extent earlier this year.

DTEK, the country’s largest private energy firm, reported one of the "most serious attacks ever" on its facilities,  halting generation at three of its thermal power plants and damaging grid infrastructure in Odesa Oblast, CEO Maxim Timchenko said. Russia launched dozens of missiles and drones in several waves of attacks, the company said in a press statement.

"It is clear Russia is dangerously escalating its efforts to deny Ukrainians critical services like energy this winter. We will not let them succeed," Timchenko said.

While DTEK did not name the locations of the plants for security reasons, Ukraine’s Energy Ministry said extensive damage to energy infrastructure was recorded in Vinnytsia, Zhytomyr, and Kharkiv oblasts. Power outages were also imposed in Ukraine's capital and the surrounding region, Poltava, Sumy, Chernihiv, Cherkasy, and Kharkiv oblasts.

Since the end of summer, Russia has renewed its mass attacks on Ukraine's energy facilities in the lead-up to winter. In the last day alone, Russia struck energy infrastructure more than 20 times, the Energy Ministry said.

Civil unrest near Kyiv exposes deeper social tensions but 'outside influence' played a role, Budanov says

A confrontation broke out in Petropavlivska Borshchahivka, a village on the outskirts of Kyiv, where civilians gathered near a building with National Guard soldiers present on Nov. 2.

Presidential Office head Kyrylo Budanov said on Nov. 3 that the incident was "not without outside influence."

"Those responsible for and involved in these events will be identified and punished. The relevant law enforcement agencies will also be held accountable," Budanov said, adding that the Prosecutor General's Office and other agencies had launched investigations.

Law enforcement officers had detained one of the suspects, a woman who claimed to be a doctor, Budanov told TSN later in the day on Nov. 3.

Budanov said the incident should not be viewed solely as the result of a provocation, adding that it had revealed broader social tensions and unresolved problems.

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has identified about 100 people who actively participated in the riots, and a search is ongoing in some of their homes, Ukrainian news agency Ukrinform reported, citing the law enforcement agency's deputy head, Ivan Rudnytskyi.

The SBU believes that the riots' goal was to kidnap one of the National Guard servicemen, Rudnytskyi said during a briefing, as cited by Ukrinform.

The General Staff said on Nov. 3 that the relevant state authorities were investigating the circumstances of the incident.

In an official statement, the 1st Corps of the National Guard "Azov" said "unverified information" circulated on Nov. 2 claiming that service members at a "temporary deployment site" had been unlawfully detained and tortured.

Ukraine's National Guard also said details about their injuries or medical conditions would be provided later and reiterated that no deaths had occurred.

Videos circulating on social media appear to show a tense standoff, with people demanding access to the building and alleging that people inside were being detained and injured.

At around 10 p.m. local time, Budanov arrived at the scene.

"I came here to figure out what the hell is going on," Budanov told Unian. Budanov claimed that 14 service members were in the building and that efforts to transport injured service members had been hampered by the blockade of protesters.

The circumstances remain unclear as authorities continue to investigate. The Kyiv Independent could not independently verify the claims circulating on social media.

Russian missile attack hits Kharkiv medical facility, injuring 73

Russian forces launched an overnight aerial bomb attack on a medical facility in Kharkiv, injuring 73 people at around 3 a.m. local time on Nov. 3, the regional prosecutor's office said.

Kharkiv, with a population of approximately 1.4 million people, is Ukraine's second-largest city and lies just 30 kilometers (19 miles) from the Russian border. The city has faced repeated Russian missile, drone, and aerial bomb attacks since the start of the full-scale war.

The attack hit an area connecting buildings at a medical facility in the city's Nemyshlianskyi District, according to Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov.

The strike damaged more than 1,000 windows across the medical facility and surrounding apartment buildings, the mayor said.

Terekhov said approximately 200 patients would be evacuated to other medical facilities as emergency services worked at the scene.

The mayor reported that Russian forces engaged in a combined attack on the city, using ballistic missiles and guided aerial bombs.

Putin orders Russian data centers to reserve capacity to assist state IT infrastructure

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on Nov. 2 ordering Russian data centers to reserve 10% of their capacity to bolster state IT infrastructure.

Under this order, Russian state agencies can quickly utilize privately owned data centers for their own needs, Reuters reported.

With the decree, a newly established government commission will have the authority to claim reserved capacity, which must be made accessible within 24 hours of the government's notification.

Putin's order comes as Ukraine has continued to target Russian data centers with long-range drone attacks.

Russia's Digital Development Ministry previously proposed building data centers underground, camouflaged from aerial detection, and equipped with drone defenses, Russian state-controlled media reported on Oct. 25.

On Oct. 16, Russian technology giant Yandex's data center in Vladimir Oblast, around 500 kilometers (310 miles) from the Ukrainian border, was targeted by Ukrainian drones in an overnight operation.

The strikes fulfilled President Volodymyr Zelensky's threat to hit Russian data centers in retaliation for Moscow's strikes on Ukrainian internet infrastructure.

In late September, Russian strikes hit multiple data centers and internet providers in Kyiv, disrupting service for around 100,000 households.

Ukraine's ombudsman, sanctioned Russian commissioner invited to Melania Trump's White House event, source says

Ukraine's Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets and Russia's Commissioner for Human Rights Yana Lantratova are expected to attend a White House event on Nov. 5, where U.S. First Lady Melania Trump will deliver remarks on the Oleshky ceasefire, a Ukrainian official told the Kyiv Independent.

However, the U.S. government sanctioned Lantratova in 2022, making her ineligible to enter the country without a special waiver from the U.S. State Department.

A spokesperson for Lubinets declined to comment when approached by the Kyiv Independent.

Melania Trump was praised for helping broker a localized ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia that lasted from 3 a.m. on Oct. 27 until 11 p.m. local time on Nov. 1. The truce allowed civilians wishing to leave Russian-occupied Oleshky, in Ukraine's southern Kherson Oblast, to evacuate.

The White House announced on Nov. 3 that representatives from Ukraine and Russia would join the first lady for her remarks on the humanitarian operation in Oleshky. However, the White House did not specify which representatives, and neither Kyiv nor Moscow has commented publicly.

The humanitarian crisis in Oleshky, which has been under Russian occupation since 2022, worsened in mid-2026. Oleshky residents faced severe shortages of food, drinking water, electricity, and medical supplies. Russian forces had effectively blockaded the town, preventing humanitarian organizations from delivering aid.

Under international humanitarian law, Russia is obligated to protect civilians living in territories under its occupation.