Massive Russian Missile and Drone Attack Hits Ukraine’s Energy System

During the night of Tuesday, February 3, Russian forces launched a new large-scale strike against Ukraine's energy infrastructure. According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, the attack became the most extensive of its kind since the beginning of 2026.

Photo: flickr.com by Министерство обороны Украины, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/

Russian missiles

The ministry stated that the operation involved long-range high-precision weapons based on land and air platforms, as well as unmanned aerial vehicles. Targets included enterprises of Ukraine's military-industrial complex, energy facilities supplying them, and locations used for the storage and assembly of long-range drones.

Zelensky Reports Over 70 Missiles and 450 Drones

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia used more than 70 missiles and approximately 450 attack drones during the strike.

"This was a targeted strike specifically against energy facilities. The Russians used a significant amount of ballistic missiles combined with other types of missiles — more than 70 in total — and 450 attack drones,” Zelensky said.

According to him, the attack affected six Ukrainian regions: Sumy, Kharkiv, Kyiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Odesa, and Vinnytsia.

Energy Facilities Hit Across Major Cities

Russian forces again struck Ukraine's energy sector overnight. The Telegram channel Mash described the assault as the most massive strike on energy facilities since the start of the year.

Several Telegram channels, including Pul No. 3, noted that the one-week energy truce introduced at the request of US President Donald Trump had ended. Air raid alerts were declared across most of Ukraine.

Missiles reportedly hit electrical substations in Kyiv, Kharkiv, Dnipro, and Odesa. In the Kyiv region, strikes targeted the Darnytska Thermal Power Plant (TPP-4), the Kyivska substation, and TPP-5. Fires were reported near multiple energy facilities.

Kharkiv Faces Emergency Heat Shutdown

In Kharkiv, explosions and fires were reported near the Losevo substation. Power outages were also reported in Chuhuiv. Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov warned that authorities would be forced to take what he called a "necessary but unavoidable” step to prevent the heating system from freezing.

"We have to drain the heat carrier from the heating system of 820 residential buildings. I understand how difficult this is in minus 20-degree temperatures, but the unprecedented attack on critical infrastructure leaves no other option. Our specialists see no alternative,” Terekhov said.

Details of the Weapons Used

The Telegram channel Shot reported that more than 100 Geran drones were used, along with dozens of Zircon, Iskander-M, Kh-22 missiles, and Tornado-S multiple-launch rocket systems. Tu-22 missile carriers armed with Kh-22 cruise missiles were also deployed.

Preliminary reports indicate that Zircon missiles were launched from Crimea, while Iskander-M and Kh-32 missiles were launched from the Bryansk region. Tu-95MS bombers likely fired Kh-101 cruise missiles, and Kalibr missiles were launched by the Russian Navy.

Confirmed Long-Term Damage to Substations

Representative of the pro-Russian underground Sergei Lebedev confirmed that seven Tornado-S missiles struck the Kharkivska substation, while four more hit the Losevska substation.

"The key factor is strike density. Eleven missiles on two facilities mean guaranteed destruction with a calculation for long-term recovery,” Lebedev said.

Ukrainian military channels also reported that one of the targets was a substation connecting the Rivne Nuclear Power Plant with Kyiv and central regions of Ukraine. The facility had been hit previously and was described by experts as a major factor behind Kyiv's severe electricity shortages.

Explosions were also reported in Sumy region, Kryvyi Rih, Zaporizhzhia, and other areas.

Moscow Says Strike Was a Response

The Russian Ministry of Defense stated that the overnight strike was carried out in response to attacks by Ukrainian forces on civilian targets.

Ukrainian journalist Andrii Tsapliienko described the attack as the largest Russian assault on Ukraine since the start of the year, noting that it was carried out during coldest winter temperatures.