Russian drone strike kills three, cuts power across multiple regions in Ukraine

On the morning of February 17, in Mykolaivka, Kramatorsk district (Donetsk region), a Russian drone targeted a vehicle carrying employees of the Sloviansk Thermal Power Plant (TPP). The attack claimed the lives of three plant workers and left one injured.

The Ukrainian Ministry of Energy confirmed the incident, noting that it was part of a broader coordinated missile-and-drone assault by Russia on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.

As a consequence of these attacks, multiple regions experienced power outages by the morning of February 17, including Dnipropetrovsk, Odesa, Donetsk, Kharkiv, and Zaporizhzhia. Heating supply was also disrupted in the cities of Sumy and Odesa, further compounding the humanitarian impact of the strikes.

On the night of February 16-17, Russia dealt yet another devastating blow to energy infrastructure facilities in Odesa. DTEK, the largest private energy company in Ukraine, reported that the damage is extremely serious and repairs will take considerable time to return the equipment to operation.

That same night, Russian forces struck Odesa, damaging civilian infrastructure facilities and injuring three people.

Russia has launched a combined attack on Ukraine, specifically designed to cause maximum damage to Ukraine's energy sector. Twelve regions have been affected.

By Vafa Guliyeva