Why are Russian strikes still hitting Ukraine's power grid?

Russian missiles and drones have repeatedly struck power facilities, fuel stations, and residential buildings across Ukraine, including in Kyiv, Kharkiv, and western regions.

The attacks cut power to at least 600,000 residents across the country and led grid operator Ukrenergo to introduce electricity rationing in areas like Kharkiv, Donetsk, and Zaporizhzhia. Damage to sites such as Kyiv's thermal plant No 4 and apartment complexes has caused multiple civilian deaths and injuries. Moscow's defence ministry has defended the operations, describing them as strikes targeting energy networks and communication hubs linked to the Ukrainian military.

United States President Donald Trump posted on social media that Russia and Ukraine had agreed to an immediate energy ceasefire. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted the declaration was initially news to him, though he stated Ukraine would halt strikes on Russian facilities if Moscow genuinely reciprocated.

However, the Russian government never verified the truce. Instead, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov signaled clear resistance, arguing Ukraine should not receive the respite a pause would provide. Ukrainian officials reported that Russian strikes hit multiple power stations almost immediately after the announcement. European leaders expressed support for the concept of a pause, but diplomats such as EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas noted there was no proof Russia was complying.

The ceasefire proposal is closely tied to an arrangement by the Trump administration to import Russian diesel into American and international markets to lower domestic fuel costs ahead of midterm elections. Under this plan, US sanctions were relaxed to allow shipments of Russian fuel.

To safeguard that deal, Washington pressured Kyiv to stop attacking Russian oil refineries, which Ukraine has targeted to restrict Moscow's revenues. Zelenskyy criticized the move as an unjustified concession to Russian President Vladimir Putin, while a bipartisan group of seven US senators argued the transaction violated federal law. Amid the dispute, Trump criticized Zelenskyy and suggested Ukraine should replace its leadership, while Zelenskyy maintained that changing leaders was solely up to Ukrainian citizens.

President Zelenskyy revealed that Ukraine received no advance notifications from foreign partners ahead of consecutive nights of Russian ballistic missile strikes on Kyiv. Ukrainian armed forces rely heavily on allied surveillance to track incoming ballistic weapons and strategic bombers, especially as interceptor stockpiles dwindle.

The absence of warnings occurred amid tension between Washington and Kyiv, including warnings that the US might halt intelligence sharing or freeze European purchases of American Patriot defense systems. While Trump denied that information sharing had ended, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha suggested the missing alert may have been related to the specific weaponry deployed by Russia.

With colder winter weather arriving, Ukrainian authorities anticipate further ballistic strikes against utility networks and have urged residents to seek shelter, while emergency teams continue work to restore damaged electricity lines and ration power.