Odesa outages expose Ukraine’s winter energy vulnerability

The latest attack on Odesa is a warning about the condition of Ukraine’s energy system months before winter. A large Russian missile and drone barrage overnight on Aug. 8–9 damaged energy infrastructure and left parts of the city and surrounding district without power, while some areas also reported disruptions to water and mobile service. DTEK said the damage was serious and that repairs would require time. For Odesa, the impact extends beyond households: critical infrastructure was also affected, while President Volodymyr Zelensky said the city’s port had been damaged. The broader energy picture is even more difficult. Zelensky said in a separate statement that, because of repeated Russian strikes, Ukraine now has practically no intact thermal power plants. That does not mean every power plant in the country has been destroyed, but it illustrates the scale of damage to thermal generation ahead of the heating season. The attack also reinforces the link between energy security and air defense. Zelensky says supplies of anti-ballistic interceptors are lower in 2026 than last year, forcing Ukraine to seek additional packages directly from partners.