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Ukraine's power grid under strain, October 2022
Summary
A look back at the days around 23 October 2022, when strikes on energy sites left outages across the country.
What did it mean for a country to be told to store water? By 23 October 2022, that advice was a reality for Ukrainians, after days of Russian airstrikes on critical infrastructure and energy facilities.
On 22 October 2022, power outages were reported across Ukraine, and citizens were advised to keep a supply of water. The strikes continued to damage energy facilities across the country, and the cuts were not confined to one region.
Burshtyn hit
Two days earlier, on 20 October 2022, a Russian missile struck a major thermal power station in Burshtyn, in Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast. Governor Svitlana Onyshchuk said the plant had suffered "quite serious damage". The site lay in western Ukraine, a reminder that the strikes were reaching well beyond the front line.
Iranian drones
The same day, the United States reported that Iranian troops were in Crimea, assisting the Russian military in using Iranian drones. That report added an external dimension to the pressure on Ukraine's infrastructure.
Taken together, the reports from 20 to 22 October 2022 describe a pattern: repeated attacks on energy facilities, damage to a major power station, outages in many places, and official advice to prepare for disruption to basic services. For residents, the practical result was a need to plan around uncertain electricity and water.
