Strikes on energy workers and Sumy Oblast

What did Russian strikes cost Ukraine's civilians and energy workers on 17 February 2026? Two incidents reported that day gave part of the answer.

In Mykolaivka, Donetsk Oblast, a Russian drone attacked a vehicle and killed three engineers from the Sloviansk Thermal Power Plant. A fourth engineer was injured. The attack fell within the wider Russian campaign against Ukrainian infrastructure in the east of the country.

The same day, large-scale Russian strikes hit Sumy Oblast. At least six people were injured, and buildings and vehicles were damaged.

The days before

Two days earlier, on 15 February 2026, authorities in several Russian oblasts, including Belgorod and Bryansk, reported widespread power outages. These followed a large-scale Ukrainian missile and drone attack on Russian power stations. Bryansk Oblast governor Alexander Bogomaz confirmed that the regional capital, Bryansk, had lost most of its electricity and heat supply.

Taken together, the reports from 15 and 17 February show energy facilities and the people who work at them affected on both sides of the front line, in the Russo-Ukrainian war.