What the 25 December 2024 strikes did to Ukraine's grid
A retrospective on a Christmas Day attack on Ukrainian energy infrastructure that killed at least two people and left cities without power.
What does an attack on the power grid mean for a country in midwinter? On 25 December 2024, Ukrainians had a stark answer. A series of Russian ballistic missile and drone strikes hit critical energy infrastructure in cities across Ukraine.
At least two people were killed and 20 others were injured, as reported at the time. The strikes also caused widespread emergency blackouts, cutting electricity in the middle of the cold season.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned Russian President Vladimir Putin over the attacks, calling them "inhumane" in his response to the strikes on Ukrainian infrastructure.
A pattern of winter attacks
The strikes belonged to a wider Ukrainian energy crisis. During the Russo-Ukrainian war, winter attacks on district heating and electricity caused repeated crises for energy in Ukraine, and the Christmas Day strikes fell within that pattern.
The reported toll of the day was two dead, 20 injured and blackouts in multiple cities. For the public institutions responsible for keeping the lights and heating on, the date marked another test of how the country's energy system endured sustained attack.
