Russia’s long campaign against Ukrainian civilians continues unabated, as they try to freeze out Kyiv’s citizens with winter approaching.
Over the past day, Russian attacks killed six people and wounded 50 more across Ukraine, while strikes slammed into energy infrastructure in six separate regions, according to local authorities’ reports compiled by the Kyiv Independent.
Tu-160 Bomber from Russia. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
Tu-160M Bomber from Russia. Image Credit: Russian Military/Creative Commons.
The list of targeted oblasts reads like a utility company’s service map: Odesa, Kirovohrad, Zhytomyr, Ternopil, Volyn, and Rivne. Most of those sit hundreds of kilometers from the front line. That’s the entire purpose of the operation.
This was the second punch of a one-two combination. The night before, Moscow launched what officials called its largest mass attack on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure this year. Less than 24 hours later, it came right back for more.
The Numbers Tell The Story
The overnight wave began at 6 p.m. on Nov. 3, according to the Kyiv Post. Ukraine’s Air Force counted 310 strike drones, including 81 jet-powered Shaheds, along with Gerbera and Parodiya decoys.
Air defense units, electronic warfare teams, and mobile fire groups shot down or neutralized 272, including 64 jet-powered variants.
That’s about an 88 percent kill rate.
However, 88 percent of 310 still leaves 38 drones that weren’t stopped. Preliminary data showed drones struck 19 locations, with falling debris at 15 more, and about 20 were still in Ukrainian airspace as of 8 a.m.
The decoys are significant. A Gerbera or Parodiya costs a fraction of an interceptor, and its job is to soak up a missile or a gun crew’s attention so a real Shahed slips through.
It’s an extremely effective saturation tactic. Ukraine has to answer every one of them. Russia only has to get lucky a few dozen times.
Dnipro Civilians Paid A Heavy Toll
The human toll fell heaviest in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast. Governor Oleksandr Hanzha said attacks on the regional capital of Dnipro killed two people and wounded 21, with another 17 injured elsewhere in the region.
On Nov. 4, a strike on an industrial facility in Dnipro wounded two men, aged 38 and 57, and set the facility on fire.
In Donetsk Oblast, Governor Vadym Filashkin reported two killed and five wounded. Zaporizhzhia Oblast counted two dead and three injured.
In Kherson Oblast, Governor Oleksandr Prokudin said Russian forces hit 40 settlements in a single day, wounding three.
A drone injured a 69-year-old woman in Sumy Oblast’s Velyka Pysarivka community.
Russia Tu-22M Bomber. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
The Russian war on Ukrainian civilians and energy grid continues to exact a heavy toll.
Zhytomyr, Kovel, And The Lights Going Out
The city of Zhytomyr took a hit to its energy infrastructure on the evening of Nov. 3, and video caught the city going dark. The city council warned that if power wasn’t restored by morning, “Points of Invincibility” would open at 9 a.m.
These emergency shelter centers let residents warm up, charge their phones, and get online. They’ve become a fixture of Ukrainian winters.
In Kovel, in Volyn Oblast, Mayor Ihor Chaika said a strike on an infrastructure facility left most of the city without electricity.
The municipal water utility switched to backup power and could only keep the taps running until 11:15 p.m.
In Odesa, a strike on a shopping center sparked a major fire that the State Emergency Service put out despite repeated air raid alerts.
Drones also hit an energy facility in Ternopil Oblast, and Rivne Governor Oleksandr Koval said Russia targeted the energy grid there around 4 a.m.
The Russian Attack On A Nuclear Substation
The drone and missile barrage the night before was worse.
Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal said Russia fired 289 drones, 17 ballistic missiles, and 59 cruise missiles across 10 oblasts on Nov. 3.
Three of those drones went after a substation critical to the Khmelnytskyi Nuclear Power Plant. Shmyhal notified the IAEA and warned the strike threatened the nuclear safety of all of Europe.
“Such actions pose a threat not only to Ukraine but to the nuclear safety of all of Europe.
This is a serious step of escalation,” Shmyhal said. That isn’t an exaggeration.
MiG-29 Flair Drop Creative Commons Image.
DTEK, Ukraine’s largest private energy company, said that the attack halted generation at three of its thermal power plants. All told, Russia has damaged more than 800 Ukrainian energy assets since September.
Moscow’s Aim Is To Get Kyiv To Capitulate
The Institute for the Study of War, in its Nov. 3 assessment, describes a strike campaign built to inflict mounting costs on Ukrainian society and coerce Kyiv into capitulating over the winter. This is also the Kremlin buying leverage for the negotiating table.
Ukraine, Russia, and the US are scheduled to meet for another round of talks in Abu Dhabi on Nov. 10 and 11. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has pushed for a ceasefire that starts with a halt to attacks on energy infrastructure.
Moscow’s answer, so far, has been 310 drones. Every substation that goes down between now and then is leverage, and every family sitting in the dark is pressure on Kyiv.
Last winter was the hardest of the war, with millions of Ukrainians going without heat and power in subzero temperatures. Russia watched what that did, and it’s running the same playbook earlier and harder.
Zelenskyy said the strikes now come virtually every day and repair crews are working around the clock. He’s been in Berlin pressing German lawmakers on Ukraine’s energy needs as an €11.6 billion aid package awaits a Bundestag vote.
KOROR, Palau — A Patriot Advanced Capability 2 Interceptor missile is fired from an M903 Patriot Launching Station assigned to Battery D, 1st Battalion, 1st Air Defense Artillery Regiment during the patriot live fire portion of Exercise Tenacious Archer 25 on Aug. 21, 2025. Exercise Tenacious Archer 25 is a training event designed to build interoperability, capacity, and relationships that deter aggression and promote peace through strength. The exercise sharpens the brigade’s ability to operate across multiple domains, reinforcing U.S. Army Pacific’s commitment to regional security and stability.(U.S. Army photo by Capt. Frank Spatt)
Meanwhile, the Pentagon says Ukraine’s Patriot missile production request requires “further review.” Interceptors don’t come off the line on a set schedule.
Lockheed Martin, the manufacturer of the Patriot, has outlined plans to expand annual PAC-3 MSE production capacity to about 2,000 interceptors by the end of 2030, up from roughly 600 annually.
Russia has failed to take Kyiv, but it has succeeded in making it cold. It just needs the drones to keep coming. And they continue to do that, while exacting a heavy toll on civilians.
In September, at least 328 civilians were killed and 2,105 injured across 22 regions and Kyiv, marking an 85 percent increase compared to September 2025 and the highest September toll since February 2022.
About the Author: Steve Balestrieri
Steve Balestrieri is a National Security Columnist. He served as a US Army Special Forces NCO and Warrant Officer. In addition to writing on defense, he covers the NFL for PatsFans.com and is a member of the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA). His work was regularly featured in many military publications.
