Cars move along a dark street during a power blackout after critical civil infrastructure was hit by Russian drone strikes, in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, 7 January 2026; Credit: Reuters/Stringer

(Reuters) - Russian strikes late on Wednesday 7 January 2026 knocked out power supplies almost entirely in two regions of southeastern Ukraine, the energy ministry said.

Hospitals and other critical sites in the affected areas were operating on reserve power, according to local reports. Emergency crews were working through the night to restore electricity, water and heating, which had also been disrupted.

"As a result of the attack, Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhzhia regions are almost completely without electricity," the ministry said in a statement on Telegram. "Critical infrastructure is operating on reserve power."

Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Kuleba, writing on Telegram, said repairs were being carried out in an "intensified manner" in Dnipropetrovsk, while ensuring the crews were safe.

In Zaporizhzhia, officials were drawing on alternative power sources to provide water supplies, he said.

Russian attacks have long targeted Ukraine's energy network and have become more intense in recent months.

Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said impending snowfalls and temperatures plunging overnight to -20 °C were likely to compound disruptions to power and heating.

"Ukraine's energy system is under enemy attacks every day, and energy workers are operating in extremely difficult conditions to provide people with light and heat," Svyrydenko wrote on Telegram. "Deteriorating weather conditions put additional strain on critical infrastructure."

Public broadcaster Suspilne reported power cuts in the city of Dnipro, where the metro had stopped running, and other parts of the region. Officials extended school holidays by two days.

The head of the Dnipropetrovsk regional council told the broadcaster it was unclear when power would be restored.

Oleksandr Vilkul, head of the military administration in Kryvyi Rih, President Volodymyr Zelensky's home town in the region, said conditions were particularly difficult in two districts with teams working to restore power.

He called for generators to be brought into use as much as possible.

Ukrainian Railways said trains in the two regions and signalling systems were being switched to reserve systems and stations were being operated with generators.

Zaporizhzhia Regional Governor Ivan Fedorov said the power cuts meant that air raid sirens were not audible.

Fedorov said electricity had been restored at "key facilities" and asked residents to stay off mobile telephone networks that were operating in emergency conditions.