- February 3, 2026
- 12:15 pm
- Ukraine
On February 3, 2026, Russia launched a massive strike on Ukraine’s energy system, choosing the coldest period of winter for the attack. The targets were thermal power plants and heating plants that provided heating for major cities. At night, temperatures dropped to −25°C.
Hundreds of thousands of families were left without heat. The strikes targeted both energy facilities and residential areas. Eight regions of the country were simultaneously under attack.
The incident was reported by Ukraine’s First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Energy, Denys Shmyhal. According to him, the targets were exclusively civilian objects with no military significance.
Shmyhal directly called the events a war crime and an attempt at “winter genocide,” emphasizing that the strikes were carried out when heating systems were only working to warm the population.
The enemy used several types of weapons: ballistic and cruise missiles, as well as attack drones. The main strike hit the CHP and TPP of Kyiv, Kharkiv, and Dnipro — stations that at that time provided heat exclusively for residential areas.
In this context, NANews — Israel News | Nikk.Agency had repeatedly written earlier that attacks on energy during frosts are not “collateral damage,” but a deliberate strategy to pressure the civilian population.
Kyiv and Region
In the capital, the Darnytskyi and Dniprovskyi districts were left without heating. According to city services, 1,170 apartment buildings were left without heat.
Emergency power outages were recorded on the Left Bank. On the Right Bank, hourly schedules continue to operate. The energy infrastructure of the Kyiv region was also hit.
Kharkiv
In Kharkiv, energy facilities in several districts of the city were damaged, including serious damage to the CHP. The energy supply situation is assessed as extremely difficult.
Due to critical damage, an emergency decision was made: water began to be forcibly drained from the heating systems of 820 houses powered by a large CHP. This is a forced step to prevent pipes from freezing and a complete collapse of the city’s heating networks.
Dnipro
In Dnipro, damage was recorded on the territory of one of the infrastructure facilities. Specialists are assessing the extent of the destruction and the possibilities for restoration.
Vinnytsia Region
Hits on critical infrastructure facilities were recorded in the region. About 50 settlements were left without electricity. Energy workers began emergency restoration work.
Odesa Region
In the south of the region, strikes hit energy and civilian infrastructure facilities. In the morning, more than 50,000 residents were left without power. Emergency crews began restoration work.
Reaction of Volodymyr Zelensky
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky stated that Russia deliberately chose the coldest days of winter for massive terror against the civilian population.
According to him, the Sumy, Kharkiv, Kyiv regions and the capital, Dnipropetrovsk, Odesa, and Vinnytsia regions were affected. More than 70 missiles and about 450 attack drones were used in total.
Zelensky confirmed that the strikes were once again targeted specifically at energy facilities. At least nine people are known to be injured at the moment. In several regions, residential buildings, a kindergarten, and critical infrastructure facilities were damaged. In Kyiv, fires broke out in high-rise buildings after drone hits.
The President emphasized that for the Kremlin, terror against civilians turned out to be more important than diplomacy. According to him, Russia is betting on escalation.
Zelensky separately noted that ending the war is impossible without increased international pressure on Moscow and timely deliveries of missiles for Ukraine’s air defense systems. Protecting the normal life of citizens remains a key priority.
Context
The night attack on February 3, 2026, became one of the largest this winter. Eight regions, record frosts, targeted strikes on heating — all this created a direct threat to hundreds of thousands of people.
The choice of time and targets makes the situation extremely clear: it is not about battles on the front, but about deliberate pressure on the civilian population in the midst of winter.
