Power outages due to Russia attacks – DW – 11/08/2025

During its war against Ukraine, Russia created a network of agents to carry out sabotage actions in European countries.

A study sheds light on the Kremlin’s strategy and provides recommendations to the EU.

“The study locates Moscow’s strategy against the backdrop of a full-scale war on Ukraine, revealing that hybrid operations are not a side theater but a central pillar of Russian strategy,” the researchers wrote.

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Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban benefited the most from his meeting with Donald Trump at the White House on Friday. And he did.

After talks with the US President, Orban said his country had been exempted from US sanctions on Russian oil and gas imports.

“We asked the president to lift the sanctions,” Orbán said. He said Hungary is “in a very different situation than other European countries.”

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Russia’s main military goal is to capture Pokrovsk.

Zelensky told reporters in Kiev that Ukrainian intelligence estimated “there are 314 Russians inside the city,” an increase from “up to 200” reported in late October.

Zelensky said Russia launched about 220 strikes over the past three days near Pokrovsk, a key Ukrainian stronghold in eastern Donetsk.

“It is very important for Russia to make every possible effort to actually capture Pokrovsk,” Zelensky said.

According to the Ukrainian president, Moscow is determined to capture the city to show the US that it can gain an advantage on the battlefield.

Gaining control of Pokrovsk would bring Russian President Vladimir Putin one step closer to his goal of seizing the entire Donbass region, Ukraine’s industrial and coal-producing hub.

Despite heavy fighting, Zelensky said Russian forces had made “no progress” near the neighboring cities of Siversk, Kramatorsk, or Kostyanivka.

Officials said the massive Russian attack targeted Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, causing power outages in several areas.

In a post on Facebook, Ukraine’s Energy Minister Svitlana Grinchuk wrote that “The enemy is again carrying out a massive attack on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. Because of this, emergency power cuts have been introduced in many regions of Ukraine,” without giving specific details.

“Despite the enemy’s plans, there will be light and warmth in Ukraine this winter,” Grinchuk said.

In recent months, Moscow has stepped up its attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, damaging natural gas sites that supply most of the country’s heating fuel.

Experts have warned that the risk of temperature cuts in Ukraine is increasing as winter approaches.

A major Russian attack on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure caused power outages in several areas, the country’s energy minister said Saturday.

Additionally, Russian forces have stepped up efforts to capture Pokrovsk, a key stronghold in eastern Ukraine.

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