Power crisis hits Odesa after massive pre-dawn Russian offensive

A massive pre-dawn strike by Russian forces on December 19, cut electricity, heating, and water supplies for tens of thousands of residents in Odesa and surrounding areas, Ukrainian officials reported. The attacks also damaged energy and railway infrastructure and injured at least two people.

According to Oleksiy Kuleba, Deputy Prime Minister for Ukraine’s Restoration, 74,500 electricity subscribers in Odesa region were left without power, with around 65,000 households in Odesa city most severely affected. Nearly 9,000 customers in Artsyz remained without electricity due to damage from previous strikes, Caliber.Az reports, citing Ukrainian media.

“One person was wounded in Odesa during the overnight attack,” Oleg Kiper, head of the Odesa Regional Military Administration, said. The strike targeted both civilian and critical infrastructure, reflecting Moscow’s strategy to disrupt daily life as winter deepens.

Ukraine’s State Emergency Service reported a large fire at an energy facility hit by Russian forces. Firefighters extinguished the blaze, while emergency crews worked around the clock to restore services. Critical infrastructure has been switched to backup power, with generators supporting key facilities, and authorities delivered water to neighborhoods experiencing supply disruptions. “Points of Invincibility” remain open around the clock, providing residents with heat, electricity, and phone charging.

The strike also hit the Odesa-Eastern railway station, damaging an electrical centralization post and station buildings. One railway employee was injured and remains under medical supervision.

This latest attack follows one of the most intense Russian aerial assaults earlier this month. On the night of December 13, Russian forces launched a multi-wave strike on Odesa, targeting roughly 300 aerial objects, including around 130 Shahed drones, damaging energy and transport infrastructure and injuring at least three people. Large parts of Odesa were temporarily left without power, heating, and water, and public electric transport was suspended, with buses replacing trams and trolleybuses.

The city of Artsyz endured prolonged outages lasting several days, prompting some residents to block streets in protest. Mayor Serhii Parpulanskyi warned that outages could last up to a week, though electricity was later restored to most areas.

Authorities continue working around the clock to repair damaged facilities and restore normal operations, underscoring the ongoing resilience of the region amidst repeated attacks.

By Vafa Guliyeva